Israeli official says strike on Iran possible if talks with US fail Sunday

Iran on Thursday denounced the IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution declaring Tehran in breach of its nuclear safeguards obligations.

Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization in a joint statement called it a politically motivated move by the US and three European countries.

“This action is a repeated instrumental use of the Board, based on political motives and lacking technical and legal foundation,” the statement read.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always remained committed to its safeguards obligations, and so far none of the Agency’s reports have referred to non-compliance or diversion.”

The statement warned of retaliatory steps, saying that Iran “has no choice but to respond to this political resolution.”

“Orders have been issued to establish a new enrichment facility at a secure location and to replace first-generation centrifuges at Fordow with advanced IR-6 machines.”

The UN nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors on Thursday passed a resolution formally declaring Iran in non-compliance with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.

"(The board) Finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with the Agency," the International Atomic Energy Agency board resolution text seen by Reuters said.

Out of the 35 members of the Board of Governors, 19 voted in favor of the resolution, 3 voted against, and 11 abstained. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso cast negative votes.

Israel is prepared to carry out a military strike against Iran if negotiations with the United States fail during the upcoming round of talks set for Sunday, a senior Israeli politician told Iran International.

"Preparations are in place, and the United States would need roughly three days to evacuate non-essential diplomatic staff and their families from the region—a process that began Wednesday and is expected to conclude by Sunday, coinciding with the talks' timeline," the official said.

The idea Iran and its allies have weakened is a "delusion," the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Esmail Qa’ani said in a speech on Thursday.

The Islamic Republic is “fully prepared and approaches negotiations with wisdom and prudence,” he said.

Qa’ani added that unlike in the past, Iran is no longer dependent on negotiations.

Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons but will also not give up its peaceful nuclear program, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday.

“We won’t build a nuclear bomb, but we will not abandon peaceful nuclear industry either,” he said, speaking to economic figures in Ilam province.

Pezeshkian condemned Western pressure, saying the US and Europe are “trying to impose maximum sanctions and pressure on our people.”

He accused foreign powers of seeking to exploit Iran’s resources while selling it weapons.

“We have placed our trust in God, not in the US and its agents,” he said. “We want to talk to the world, but we will not bow to coercion and bullying.”

A regional ally had informed Tehran of a potential Israeli military strike, a senior official of the Islamic Republic told Reuters on Thursday, but stressed that Iran would not abandon its right to uranium enrichment despite mounting tensions.

“The tensions are intended to influence Tehran to change its position about its nuclear rights,” the official said.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that American personnel were being withdrawn from the Middle East due to growing risks in what he called a “dangerous place,” reaffirming that Washington will not permit Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Tehran and Washington are set to resume nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman Sunday.

Iran will not bow to American pressure, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday, accusing the US of regional destabilization.

“Those who plundered the world now accuse Iranian officials, while our nation serves with full commitment.” Pezeshkian said in a speech in Ilam province.

“They want to portray Iran as weak, but they don’t know the Iranian people.”

Referring to the country’s long history and cultural legacy, he said, “For 47 years, they’ve failed to make us surrender—and they still won’t.”

Iran is ready for any military confrontation and has a defined strategy, the Revolutionary Guards commander in chief Hossein Salami said Thursday.

“if our hands are untied, we will win victories that will make the enemy regret its actions,” he said during a gathering of the IRGC commanders.

The Islamic Republic is prepared to abandon negotiations with the United States if its national demands are not fulfilled, The Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Javan newspaper wrote Thursday.

The paper said Iran is negotiating “from a position of strength” and has attained a level of nuclear expertise that provides scientific and technical deterrence against threats.

Senior Iranian military and government officials have convened to discuss potential responses in the event of an Israeli attack, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Citing a senior Iranian official, the paper wrote, “Iranian military and government officials have already met to discuss their response to a potential Israeli strike.”

According to US and European officials quoted in the report, Israel appears to be preparing to launch an attack on Iran soon, prompting heightened alert in Tehran.