Senate Majority Leader says Iran action should pursue regime change

Iran's delegation has arrived at the venue of talks with the US in Geneva after a break, footage published by Iran's state media showed.

The talks began in the morning and were paused for a break so that the delegations could consult with their respective capitals, Iran's foreign ministry said.

House Democratic leaders said they will force a vote next week on a resolution requiring President Donald Trump to make the case to Congress before using military force against Iran.

“The Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing, seen most recently in the killing of thousands of protestors. However, undertaking a war of choice in the Middle East, without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to our servicemembers and to escalation, is reckless,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

"We maintain that any such action would be unconstitutional without consultation with and authorization from Congress. Next week, every Member will have the opportunity to go on the record as to whether they support military action against Iran absent Congressional approval,” the statement added.

A complaint has been filed in Switzerland accusing Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi of crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on anti-government protests following the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, AFP reported, citing lawyers.

The complaint, lodged by an Iranian-Swiss citizen, alleges Gharibabadi may have committed serious crimes under international law and calls for his arrest while he is in Geneva this week.

Lawyers William Bourdon and Philippine Vaganay said the deputy minister could be considered a co-perpetrator or bear responsibility as a hierarchical superior at the time of the events.

“We expect the Swiss authorities to arrest the accused as soon as possible,” the lawyers said in a statement, arguing that Swiss and international law oblige authorities to act to prevent impunity for serious crimes.

The US Treasury Department on Thursday proposed a rule to cut Swiss lender MBaer Merchant Bank AG off from the US financial system, alleging it handled funds tied to illicit networks linked to Iran and Russia.

The US Treasury said the bank and some employees enabled money laundering connected to Venezuelan and Russian corruption and processed transactions benefiting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its Quds Force, both under US sanctions.

"MBaer has funneled over a hundred million dollars ⁠through the US financial system on behalf of illicit actors tied to Iran ‌and Russia," ​Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

"Banks should be on ​notice that the US Treasury will aggressively ⁠protect the integrity of the US financial ‌system using the full force of ​our authorities," Bessent added.

If finalized, the measure would bar US financial institutions from maintaining correspondent accounts for MBaer. The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network opened a 30-day public comment period before making a final decision.

Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said nuclear talks with the United States in Geneva were conducted in an “intense and serious” manner and will resume around 17:30-18:00 Geneva time.

Speaking to state television, Baghaei said Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi was also present at the talks.

He said both delegations needed to consult with their respective capitals before negotiations restart later in the day.

Baghaei said the talks are focused solely on nuclear issues and sanctions relief, stressing that “the subject is only the nuclear file and the lifting of sanctions.” He also pointed to what he described as contradictory statements in US media and by some American officials, saying such remarks fuel doubts, but emphasized that Iran’s priority remains achieving a concrete outcome.