Khamenei backs 'Death to America' chants as Witkoff ups ante for talks
Summary
Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday Iran insists on its right to enrich uranium, and "if the goal is to prevent Iran from accessing its legitimate right to peaceful nuclear energy, that will never happen."
Iran says its delegation to Sunday’s US talks in Muscat will include technical experts, after CNN reported the US team would not bring specialist staff.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei endorsed chants of Death to America on Saturday, one day before nuclear talks with the US resume.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US rejected any Iranian enrichment and that Washington could terminate talks with Tehran after they meet again on Sunday if they are not productive.
The fourth round of Iran-US talks will be held on Sunday in Oman, the Omani foreign minister confirmed on Friday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday for talks with senior Saudi officials and to attend the Arab-Iranian Dialogue Conference in Doha.
Satellite images provided to Fox News by an exiled Iranian opposition group show what it called a previously undisclosed Iranian nuclear site, allegedly used to extract tritium for enhancing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US seeks to destroy Iranian nuclear centrifuges, either as part of an agreement or by force.
US VP Vance said Iran must not be allowed to enrich uranium to levels that would enable it to develop nuclear weapons—remarks that may be seen as an apparent nod to Iran’s insistence on low-level enrichment.
Oman says it mediated a US-Houthi ceasefire after US President Donald Trump said the Iran-backed Yemeni group had "capitulated" and Israel attacked Sanaa airport and power plants.
Iran and the US will hold a fourth round of indirect talks in Oman on Sunday, focusing on humanitarian and security issues, according to Iran’s Nour News.
The UN nuclear agency chief said a new deal would likely be a departure from a 2015 agreement and would potentially include more bold and clear provisions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to dictate Iranian and US policy.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran to halt uranium enrichment and allow US inspections or face serious consequences, including potential military action.
US may put military option back on table if Iran talks fail - i24 News
The United States may consider putting the military option back on the table if significant progress is not made in the fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, Israel's i24 News reported, citing sources close to the US chief negotiator Steve Witkoff.
If the talks "are not productive on Sunday, then they won’t continue and we’ll have to take a different route,” Witkoff previously told Breitbart News.
Iran used Houthis as leverage in talks with US, Yemeni minister says
The Houthi officials' confusion and contradictory statements following the announcement of a halt in US airstrikes indicate the move was the result of a US-Iran deal, said Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
He said Tehran had exploited the decision to break a deadlock in ongoing negotiations.
Military action depends on how seriously Iran takes Trump, envoy says
"Military action depends on them [Iran], in whether or not they believe in taking President Trump seriously," Israel's Channel 12 reported citing US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
In the Saturday interview, Huckabee emphasized that there will not be nuclear weapons in Iran.
"There won't be a deal that involves Iran with nuclear capacity."
No deal in sight if Iran is not allowed to enrich uranium, Araghchi says
"Iran insists on its right to use peaceful nuclear energy and that includes uranium enrichment," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said one day before the fourth round of talks with the US in Oman.
"We will not back down from the Iranian nation's nuclear rights. If the goal is to prevent Iran from accessing its legitimate right to peaceful nuclear energy, that will never happen," he said.
Araghchi, who was addressing an event held in Doha, said "Iran, in its indirect talks with the United States, emphasizes its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and clearly states that it is not seeking nuclear weapons."
"Iran continues the negotiations in good faith, and if the goal of these talks is to ensure non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, an agreement is possible. However, if the aim is to restrict Iran’s nuclear rights, Iran will never back down from its rights."
4o
Witkoff's stances show US is under Netanyahu's influence - Iran state TV
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s call for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the end of its enrichment program “validate the Iranian nation's suspicion that the US is addicted to its maximum-pressure policies,” Iran's state-run Press TV reported, citing a senior Iranian official.
Witkoff's remarks “not only expose the inconsistency and unreliability of American decision-makers but also reinforce the suspicion that the American side is ‘under the influence and temptation of neoconservatives and Netanyahu’.”
Iran’s Araghchi meets Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Saudi Arabia
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a visit to the kingdom, Iranian state media reported.
Earlier on Saturday, the Iranian daily Farhikhtegan reported that Araghchi’s trip included delivering a response to a letter from Saudi King Salman, citing informed sources.
Iran confirms delegation for US talks in Oman will include technical experts
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Saturday that Tehran’s delegation to the fourth round of indirect talks with the United States, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, will include “the necessary experts and specialists.”
“I can only speak about our own delegation,” Baghaei told reporters, declining to comment on US participation.
His remarks came after a CNN report said the US technical team would not take part in this round of negotiations.
Iran official warns failure to back leader invites foreign attack
A senior official in the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader warned on Saturday that failure to defend the country’s leadership could lead to national collapse, citing Libya and Syria as cautionary examples.
“If people fail to defend their leader, the enemy’s kick will awaken them from sleep,” said Ali Saeedi, head of the Supreme Leader’s ideological-political office, according to state media.
He said divine support depends on active resistance. “Worship at home is not enough. One must step into the arena and fight falsehood,” he said.
He added that Iran faces determined enemies. “Two opposing wills now stand face to face — one from the front of truth, the other from enemies who will fight to delay it by even a single day.”
Ali Saeedi
Khamenei backs 'Death to America' chants, says US fully supports Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday endorsed chants of “Death to America” from his supporters, saying the United States is fully backing Israel’s actions in Gaza and that Muslim nations must resist both.
“Your judgment is right,” Khamenei told the crowd after they chanted the slogan during a speech to workers in Tehran. “Americans support Israel’s crimes.”
“Americans fully support Israel — in the true sense of the word,” he added. “In the world of politics, things may be said that suggest otherwise, but that is not the reality.”
He also warned of efforts to shift global focus away from the war. “They use rumors and meaningless issues to distract minds from Palestine. Minds must not be diverted,” he said.
Khamenei called on Muslim nations to stand against both Israel and its Western allies. “Muslim nations must stand against Israel and its supporters,” he said. He concluded by expressing confidence in Israel’s defeat. “
I believe Palestine will be victorious over Israel,” he said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Was Iran behind the US-Houthi ceasefire?
Why did the Houthis suddenly agree to a ceasefire—and what does it reveal about Iran’s influence?
In this Eye for Iran segment, expert Fatima Abo Alasrar argues the surprise pause wasn't about peace—it was a power play by Tehran to show Trump it controls the region’s escalation switch.
