US Treasury sanctions 12 over Iran oil shipments to China

A US Navy Ohio-class nuclear-armed submarine arrived in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, on Sunday, the US Navy said in a rare announcement, after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's proposal.

“The port visit demonstrates U.S. capability, flexibility, and continuing commitment to its NATO allies,” US Sixth Fleet Public Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

“Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the US with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad,” it added.

Iran is prepared to downblend its highly enriched uranium stockpile to 3.7% and 20% levels but has refused to transfer the material outside the country, Al Jazeera reported, citing an Iranian source.

The source said Washington had demanded access to Iran’s 60%-enriched uranium and pushed for a 20-year halt to enrichment, which Tehran rejected. The source also said Iran was prepared to continue enrichment under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.

The source added Washington rejected a proposal to pay fines to Iran in exchange for war losses.

The international affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said US President Donald Trump should not present the ceasefire with Tehran as a victory during his upcoming trip to Beijing.

“Mr. Trump, never think that by exploiting our restraint today, you will enter Beijing triumphantly. First learn the ‘ABC of the new geopolitical order of West Asia,’” Ali Akbar Velayati said in apparent reference to Trump’s expected visit to China for talks with President Xi Jinping.

“We defeated you on the ‘battlefield,’ so never think you will be the winner of diplomacy,” Velayati added.

US-Iran talks are unlikely to make significant progress before President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, CNN reported, citing a regional source close to the negotiations.

The source said movement in the talks would “depend on the results of President Trump’s visit to Beijing.”

The source said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was “very likely” to attend the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi on Thursday and Friday, the same days Trump is in Beijing.

Araghchi’s presence at the BRICS meeting “is important,” CNN quoted the source as saying, adding that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt may also attend.

The report said Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries facilitating backchannel dialogue between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan.

“China is going to be an important player in ensuring that the dialogue continues,” the source added.

The European Union will expand its Iran sanctions to include those responsible for obstructing freedom of navigation, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

“In the Strait of Hormuz, the ceasefire is under heavy strain following Iran’s recent strikes in the region,” Kallas added speaking at a press conference on Monday.

She said EU ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation with countries astride the Persian Gulf after the Iran war and accelerate work on strategic partnership agreements with all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

“We are ready to frontload our security and defense cooperation,” Kallas said.