EU and U.S. Officials Push to Revive Iran Nuclear Deal Talks
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borell visited Iran aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, with both Iranian and EU negotiators saying talks which have been stalled since March will resume in the coming weeks (Reuters)
Likewise, the U.S. special envoy for the Iranian nuclear talks has set course for Qatar to resume indirect talks with Iran mediated by the European Union, following a push by European leaders; U.S. officials have expressed doubt surrounding the likelihood of success as Iranian officials refuse to speak directly with the United States (Politico)
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign minister has arrived in Tehran for talks on economic and energy cooperation with Iran to combat Western sanctions, with the 2015 nuclear deal, Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine also slated for discussion (Reuters)
U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Energy Firms, Chinese, Emirati Brokers
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a network of companies including Iranian energy firms and Chinese and Emirati front companies, saying the network helped Iran evade sanctions (CNN)
UN Watchdog: Iran to Remove Monitoring Cameras
The removal of twenty-seven cameras used to monitor the country’s nuclear sites could be a “fatal blow” to stalled nuclear talks, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief said (Washington Post)
Iranian Authorities Disable UN Surveillance at Nuclear Site
Authorities at an Iranian nuclear site turned off two surveillance cameras used by the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor uranium enrichment (New York Times)
UN Nuclear Agency Weighs Censure of Iran for Undeclared Uranium Sites
The United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) submitted a draft resolution condemning Iran’s lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the organization’s board; the board will vote on the resolution this week as it meets in Austria (Reuters)
UN Nuclear Watchdog: Iran Is a Few Weeks Away From Having Significant Amount of Uranium
International Atomic Energy Agency Director Rafael Grossi announced that Iran was just a few weeks away from having a significant quantity of uranium (CNN)
U.S. Envoy Defends Iran Deal in Congressional Hearing
U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he is “not particularly optimistic” about the success of nuclear talks with Iran, but that diplomacy remains the best option for U.S. national security (Washington Post)
EU Foreign Policy Chief Says Nuclear Talks Can Restart
Josep Borell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said there had been enough progress during consultations with Iranian officials to reopen nuclear talks, which have been stalled for two months (Reuters)
EU, Qatari Officials Travel to Tehran for Talks to Save Nuclear Deal
Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, traveled to Tehran in an attempt to save the nuclear deal; the EU’s chief nuclear deal negotiator previously met with Iran’s deputy foreign minister (Al-Monitor)
Iran Detains Two Europeans Amid Nuclear Talks
Iran’s intelligence ministry detained two Europeans shortly before a European Union envoy met with Iranian officials in Tehran in a last-ditch effort to save the nuclear deal (Associated Press)
Iran’s Oil Minister Visits Venezuela’s Maduro
Iranian Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, to discuss ways to help their countries “overcome” the effects of U.S. sanctions (Agence France-Presse)
Israel, United States to Hold Talks on Iran
Amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations with Iran, Israel and the United States will hold talks on Iran’s nuclear program and countering its activity in the region (Axios)
Tehran Says Nuclear Deal in ‘Emergency Room,’ Calls for Sanctions Relief
Iran’s foreign ministry said a revived version of the 2015 nuclear deal is alive but Washington has yet to decide on some of Tehran’s demands, including removing a terrorism designation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and lifting sanctions (Bloomberg)
United States Sanctions Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program
The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in response to a missile attack in Erbil, Iraq (CNN)
Monitor: Iran Shifted Some Enriched Uranium to Medical Use
Iran is converting a third of its highly enriched uranium for use in medical isotopes, the UN nuclear watchdog reported. The converted uranium cannot be used in weapons, a fact that could help reduce tensions as world powers hold talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal (Bloomberg)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Visits Moscow
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, will discuss recently paused final negotiations on restarting the 2015 nuclear deal (Reuters)
U.S. Says Iran Should Be ‘Held Accountable’ for Missile Attack in Iraq
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for a missile attack near a U.S. military base in Erbil, Iraq, saying it was in response to recent Israeli actions in the region (Wall Street Journal)
Iran Nuclear Talks Paused Due to ‘External Factors’
The near-complete negotiations in Vienna were paused following new demands from Moscow and Tehran (Axios)
New Demands From Russia, Iran Threaten Nuclear Deal Negotiations
Tehran said there new obstacles to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, challenging western diplomats who were already racing to address to demands from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine (Reuters)
Iran, IAEA Reach Agreement on Key Obstacle to Nuclear Deal
Iran and the IAEA have agreed on a three-month plan that could address the issue of uranium particles found at old but undeclared sites in the country, one of the unresolved issues blocking a new Iran nuclear deal (Reuters)
IAEA Head to Visit Iran
The director of the UN nuclear watchdog will travel to Tehran on Saturday amid final negotiations about a potential return to the 2015 nuclear deal (Reuters)
Iran Will Continue to Enrich Uranium to 20 Percent Even After a Revived Deal
Iran’s nuclear energy chief Mohammad Eslami said Iran would continue to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity even if a nuclear deal is reached, as compared to the 3.67 percent purity originally agreed to in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (Reuters)
Hackers Target Atomic Energy Organization of Iran in Support of Protesters
Iranian hacker group Black Reward claimed responsibility for the attack on one of the organization’s email servers, saying it was in support of Iran’s ongoing women-led, anti-government protests (Reuters)
U.S. Navy Launches Fleet of New Surveillance Drones in the Middle East
In coordination with regional allies, the U.S. Navy will launch one hundred unmanned drones to patrol the region’s waters and help monitor Iranian backed activity (Associated Press)
Draft Nuclear Deal Outlines Terms of Sanctions Relief
According to unnamed diplomats, a draft of the nuclear deal says Iran must suspend uranium enrichment above 5 percent purity and free Western prisoners while South Korea releases Iranian money frozen in its banks. After that, a main phase of sanctions lifting would begin (Reuters)