Trump says deal is near, Iran says US lacks military option

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Thursday that more than 25% of all International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections in 2024 were conducted in Iran, despite the country accounting for only about 3 percent of the global nuclear industry.

“All of the country’s nuclear activities have been carried out within the framework of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and are under the continuous supervision of this body,” state media quoted Mohammad Eslami as saying on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the 31st National Nuclear Conference in Mashhad.

"Currently, IAEA inspectors regularly, both in announced and unannounced visits, inspect the country’s nuclear facilities," he added.

Eslami criticized what he described as double standards, unfair treatment, and negative media narratives targeting Iran. “This is a repetitive and worn-out issue that has never and will never prevent our progress,” he said.

There is concern in Israel over the emerging nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing two Israeli officials who said the potential deal is seen as problematic for Israel.

According to the report, Israel maintains that Iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium under any circumstances, including for civilian purposes.

The newspaper cited two Western officials saying that while negotiations have made progress, it remains uncertain whether the talks will result in a final agreement.

A social media account with apparent access to a sensitive Iranian military site posted a video on Thursday depicting missiles fixed to an Iranian military helicopter which it said were copied from those attached to US attack drones.

The aircraft was marked with the insignia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iranian military officials in recent days have cited Iran's prowess as a strong deterrent against any US military solution to the nuclear standoff with Iran which has been repeatedly mooted by US President Donald Trump.

US Representative Ro Khanna said he supports President Donald Trump’s efforts to reach a deal with Iran, urging both parties to set aside political divisions in favor of diplomacy.

“This is not a time for politics on Iran,” the Pennsylvania Democrat wrote on X. “I support @realDonaldTrump trying to get a deal with Iran. I supported the Obama nuclear deal. How about we put the interest of our nation and peace above scoring political points at every moment?”

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been asked by mediators to agree to a complete halt in uranium enrichment for up to three years as a trust-building measure, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

Under the proposal, Iran would later resume enrichment at the 3.75% purity limit outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by the US in 2018.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that none of the country’s nuclear facilities will be dismantled, dismissing President Trump's warnings that the alternative to a deal could be "horrible" for Iran.

“Why do they negotiate? Because they are not able to impose their will through military means,” Araghchi told reporters in Tehran on Thursday.

He suggested that Iran’s participation in talks with the United States is not a sign of weakness, but rather a reflection of its deterrent power.

“In fact, it is our defensive capabilities—the missiles of the Islamic Republic—that give strength and power to the negotiator to sit at the table, and it is these that cause the other side to give up and lose hope in a military attack,” he added.

He also repeated Tehran's position that no uranium enrichment facility would be dismantled as part of a deal.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief said US President Donald Trump is an enemy of the Iranian people, accusing him of blocking access to medicine and ordering the killing of IRGC General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

“The Iranian people know their friends and enemies well, and you are at the center of their hostility … Trump has sanctioned the Iranian people and is trying to block medicine from reaching the sick in this land,” Hossein Salami said in a speech on Thursday. “The Iranian people consider you the murderer of their most beloved and greatest national hero, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.”

“Mr. President, a few years ago you called the Iranian people terrorists and said Iran was a terrorist nation. How is it now that you portray yourself as a friend of this people?” he added. “Think carefully about what image of yourself exists in the minds of Iranians.”

Former Iranian vice president Eshaq Jahangiri said he felt ashamed when US President Donald Trump gave what he described as a false portrayal of Iran during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

“I suffered, I was ashamed when the president of the United States, in Saudi Arabia, gave a false description of Iran, saying that Iran doesn’t have water or electricity,” Jahangiri said in a speech on Thursday.

Speaking before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other top Saudi and US officials, President Donald Trump spent much of a lengthy speech on Tuesday criticizing Iran while urging a deal over its disputed nuclear program.

The US Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned two senior Hezbollah officials and two financial facilitators in Iran and Lebanon for coordinating overseas funding for the group.

The individuals, identified as Mu’in Daqiq Al-‘Amili, Jihad Alami, Fadi Nehme and Hasan Abdallah Ni’mah, are accused of helping move large sums of money, including funds from Iran to Gaza following Hamas' October 7 attack.

“These actions underscore Hezbollah’s global financial reach, particularly through Tehran,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to address Iran’s support for terrorism, Treasury will continue to intensify economic pressure on the key individuals in the Iranian regime and its proxies who enable these deadly activities,” he added.

Iran has not received any new proposal from the United States to resolve its nuclear standoff, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed senior Iranian official, denying reports of recent written offers.

The official said Tehran would only consider sending enriched uranium abroad if US sanctions are lifted “verifiably and effectively.”

Sending uranium enriched above 5% abroad has always been part of Iran’s nuclear discussions with the United States, the official added.

Earlier in the day, Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff had delivered a written proposal to Iran during talks in Oman, marking the first such offer since negotiations resumed in April.