Netanyahu Calls for Full Dismantling of Iranian Nuclear Program
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that an acceptable nuclear deal must require Iran to withdraw all of its nuclear infrastructure, including any peaceful civil applications for energy (Reuters)
Iran and U.S. Agree to Continuation of Nuclear Negotiations This Week
Both parties optimistically stated that gradual progress was made during the most recent discussions in Muscat on April 26, with Oman suggesting that the next round of negotiations could take place on May 3 in Europe (AP)
U.S. Expands Negotiating Team and Consults With Europeans Ahead of Talks
The United States has named a head of its technical team: Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director who also served during the first Trump administration; the enlarged U.S. technical team is the latest sign of momentum for the talks, now in their third consecutive weekend (Politico)
Anton briefed European diplomats last week on the U.S.-Iran talks, unnamed sources told Reuters; France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, known as the E3, were party to a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 and will be influential in an upcoming UN decision on whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran (Reuters)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that while relations with the E3 were currently “down,” he proposed a fresh round of diplomacy in which he would travel to all three capitals (X)
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that work toward an agreement was “doing very well,” but core negotiation issues still appear undecided (WaPo)
Iran rejected Marco Rubio’s proposal to become solely reliant on imported enriched uranium and reiterated that a nuclear deal must allow it to maintain its own nuclear enrichment capacity for civilian purposes (Guardian)
Delay in U.S.-Iran Talks
Technical talks toward a potential U.S.-Iran nuclear deal will occur on Saturday after being originally scheduled for today, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that the host country, Oman, suggested the delay (Times of Israel)
The talks will now occur on the same day as political negotiations. Since the last round of discussions last Saturday, Iran’s foreign minister has held meetings with UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi and with counterparts in China (France24)
Grossi said Tehran agreed to allow a UN team to visit soon to discuss the return of surveillance cameras at nuclear sites (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview that if Iran wants a civilian nuclear program, it should import enriched uranium rather than be allowed to enrich it domestically (FT)
Meanwhile, the Institute for Science and International Security published a report citing evidence Iran has constructed a “security perimeter” at tunnels leading to its primary underground nuclear site, suggesting that the tunnels could soon become operational; Iran continues to block International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to the tunnel systems (Reuters)
Iranian Foreign Minister Visits Beijing Ahead of Technical Nuclear Talks
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said that it was “natural” that Iran would consult with China on nuclear matters; the United States sanctioned Chinese refineries of Iranian oil earlier this month as part of efforts to increase pressure on Iran (Reuters)
Iran to Consult With China Ahead of Third Round of Nuclear Talks With U.S.
Iran’s foreign minister is set to visit Beijing on tomorrow ahead of the next round of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Oman on Saturday, April 26 (Al Jazeera)
United States, Iran Agree to Further Nuclear Talks
U.S. and Iranian officials agreed to proceed with more nuclear negotiations after meeting today (Politico)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said they had reached an “understanding on a series of principles and goals,” while a U.S. State Department spokesperson said they “made very good progress” (Times of Israel)
The two sides are slated to meet for “expert level” technical talks on Wednesday and additional talks next Saturday (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Israeli officials reportedly remain open to a significantly smaller set of airstrikes regardless of U.S. support and despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of an earlier Israeli proposal to conduct strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities (Reuters)
Saudi Defense Minister Visits Iran Ahead of U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday, voicing a goal of boosting bilateral relations ahead of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks; the defense minister was the highest-ranking Saudi royal to visit Iran for official talks in decades (Reuters)
His rare trip emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Iran negotiations for countries elsewhere in the Middle East, experts said (FT)
Meanwhile, UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi told reporters yesterday that he was in Iran to “facilitate this process” of an agreement because the parties “are in a very crucial stage” (Times of Israel)
Trump Partly Confirms He Blocked Israeli Strikes on Iran
U.S. President Donald J. Trump appeared to partly confirm a New York Times report that he recently pushed back against an Israeli plan to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities; Trump said he was “not in a rush” to strike Iran and that he would like to see Iran “live happily without death” (Times of Israel)
Iran Confirms Next Round of Nuclear Talks With the United States in Rome
Iranian state media stated that officials from Oman will travel to Rome to mediate discussions between the two parties, scheduled for April 19 (AP)
United States Halts Israeli Plan to Strike Iran
Israelplanned to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as next month with U.S. assistance before U.S. President Donald J. Trump rejected the proposal in favor of nuclear talks, unnamed sources told the New York Times; the U.S. and Israeli governments did not comment (NYT)
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran’s ability to continue to enrich uranium is “non-negotiable” after U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff hardened his public comments ahead of weekend U.S.-Iran talks (Times of Israel)
U.S. Envoy Calls for End to Iran Nuclear Program
U.S. President DonaldTrump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on social media yesterday that Iran should “stop and eliminate” its nuclear enrichment program, days after he said that the country should simply have a cap on enrichment (FT)
Top Trump administration officials voiced conflicting opinions at a meeting yesterday to prepare for this weekend’s next round of Iran talks, Axios reported (Axios)
Meanwhile, the UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran (Al Arabiya)
U.S. Increases Aircraft Carrier Deployments Ahead of Nuclear Talks
Satellite imagery indicated that the United States deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Arabian Sea (AP)
This deployment comes after suspected U.S. air strikes targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen killed at least seven people and wounded an additional twenty-nine (AP)
United States, Iran Plan for Follow-up Talks
Envoys from both countries plan to meet this week following Saturday’s talks in Oman, which both sides described as “constructive” (Reuters)
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, spoke directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi following indirect talks; Araghchi said afterward that he believed the sides were “very close to a basis for negotiations” (DW)
United States and Iran Prepare fo Nuclear Talks in Oman
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will meet with a senior Iranian official, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday (Reuters)
Observers across the region, already on edge, are watching the meeting closely. U.S. President Donald Trump said he aimed to reach a deal within weeks—if there is one to be had (WSJ)
While detailed negotiations could take months, Iran is considering proposing an interim deal to confirm confidence-building steps within the quick timeframe that Trump seeks, an unnamed European diplomat and another unnamed source told Axios (Axios)
U.S. Issues New Sanctions Against Iranian Entities Tied to Iran’s Nuclear Program
The U.S. Treasury Department stated that the fresh sanctions target companies that oversee Iran’s nuclear program and manufacture key technologies, which come after Trump announced direct U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Oman on Saturday, April 12, though Tehran later stated that the talks will be “indirect” (Reuters)
Separately, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed that the country is not seeking a nuclear weapon nor is it opposed to U.S. direct investment in the country (AP)
United States and Iran to Hold High-Level Nuclear Talks
Trump and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately confirmed the talks (Al Jazeera)
Trump called them “direct,” while Araghchi said that the discussions in Oman will be indirect; three unnamed Iranian officials told the New York Times that Tehran could be open to direct talks if the meetings are productive (NYT)
Araghchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will participate, Araghchi told Iranian state media (AP)
Trump seeks to block Iran’s access to a nuclear weapon as Tehran’s regional capabilities are weakened—and as Israel has signaled interest in striking (Reuters)
Trump pulled out of a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program seven years ago (NYT)
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Strike Group Will Stay in Middle East Longer Than Planned
An additional group has been ordered to join the carrier strike group, the Defense Department said; a Pentagon spokesperson warned against threats by Iran and its proxies while announcing the deployment (Bloomberg)
It is unusual for two groups to be deployed so closely, though the Joe Biden administration took the same step last year (AP)
Trump Considering Secondary Tariffs on Iran
Trump said that “there will be bombing” if Tehran does not make a nuclear deal (Reuters)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said today that a U.S. attack would be met with a “strong reciprocal blow” (Reuters)
Iran FM: Iran Is Open to Indirect Talks With Trump Administration
Via Oman, Iran issued a written reply to a letter from Trump that detailed its positions on several issues, Iran’s official news agency said; local media also reported that a top foreign policy advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tehran was “willing to begin indirect negotiations” with Washington, signaling a shift from Khamenei’s previous criticism of talks (NYT)
United States Sanctions Private Chinese Companies for Purchasing Iranian Oil
Washington accused the companies of violating U.S. sanctions by purchasing crude oil from Iran as part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran (FT)
Trump Warns Iran Over Houthis
Following U.S. strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Trump wrote on social media that any retaliation would be viewed “as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership” of Iran; he added that Tehran would be “held responsible” with “dire” consequences (Politico)
Iran’s UN ambassador called Trump’s statements “reckless and provocative” in a letter to the UN Security Council (Reuters)
A U.S. spy drone pulled back from a position near Iranian airspace after an encounter with Iranian fighter jets and reconnaissance drones, Iran’s Nournews reported (Reuters)
China, Russia Back Iran’s Nuclear Stance
Senior officials from the three countries met in Beijing today and issued a joint statement calling for negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program and an end to U.S. sanctions on Iran (AP)
Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader last week proposing a choice between talks or facing U.S. military pressure, after which Iran’s president said he would not negotiate while being “threatened” (Reuters)
China and Russia today backed Iran’s claims that its nuclear program is “peaceful in nature” (Nikkei)
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei Rejects Nuclear Negotiations with United States
Khamenei added that any talks with U.S. President Trump would only lead to greater sanctions against Iran; Iran plans to meet with European parties to its 2015 nuclear deal, as well as with Russian and Chinese officials in Beijing on Friday (Reuters)
Iran Open to Talks With U.S. About Concerns Over “Potential Militarization” of Its Nuclear Program”
The country’s mission to the United Nations posted the overture to Washington on X; it added that Iran would continue its “peaceful” nuclear activities (AP)
Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in recent days seeking nuclear talks; Khamenei said he would reject talks aimed at restricting the country’s missile program and regional influence (NPR)