Iranian Foreign Minister Signals Interest in Nuclear Deal as Talks Continue in Vienna
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran was in a hurry to reach an agreement in Vienna as long as it fit within the framework of the country’s national interest (Reuters)
Iran Unveils New Missile Capable of Reaching Israel, U.S. Bases
As nuclear talks resumed in Vienna, Iran announced a new, 1,450 kilometer-range missile capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases in the region (Reuters)
Deal in Sight as United States-Iran Nuclear Deal Talks Resume
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said a deal is in “sight” as diplomats reconvened in Vienna to negotiate a possible return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (Agence France-Presse)
Iran Announces Sanctions Against Fifty-Two Americans
Iran’s foreign ministry announced sanctions against fifty-two Americans over the 2020 killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani (Times of Israel)
Iran Conducts Satellite Launch
A defense ministry spokesperson said Iran launched three research devices into space but did not say whether they had reached orbit (Reuters)
Iran Nuclear Deal Talks Paused
Diplomats will temporarily adjourn talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal after meeting today and plan to resume them later this month (Reuters)
Iran Agrees to Reinstall Monitoring Cameras at Nuclear Facility
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it was given permission to reinstall cameras that were damaged in an attack on the Karaj nuclear facility last year (Al Jazeera)
U.S., Israeli Officials Discuss Iran Concerns
Officials from the U.S. Department of Defense met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz in Washington yesterday. Pentagon officials declined to comment on a report that said the officials would discuss possible joint military exercises for a scenario in which nuclear diplomacy with Iran failed (Reuters)
Iran Gives Draft Elements of Nuclear Pact to European Countries
The drafts cover sanctions removal and Iran’s nuclear commitments, the country’s top nuclear negotiator said. European intermediaries in Vienna, Austria, are facilitating talks between the United States and Iran to resurrect the 2015 nuclear deal (Reuters)
Iran Makes Maximalist Demands in New Round of Nuclear Talks
Iran called for an immediate lifting of U.S. sanctions against it in negotiations yesterday with other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, European Union delegate Enrique Mora said, a demand the United States is unlikely to accept (New York Times)
While Mora called the talks “extremely positive” and said they built on previous negotiations, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, told Iranian state television that everything previously discussed was a “draft.” Talks continue today with a working group on U.S. sanctions and tomorrow with a working group on Iran’s nuclear activities. UN nuclear inspectors remain unable to fully monitor Iran after Tehran limited their access earlier this year (Reuters, Associated Press)
Talks on Salvaging Iran Deal Resume in Vienna
After a five-month hiatus, negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal will resume in Vienna, Austria, today. European diplomats will serve as intermediaries between Washington and Tehran, which refuses to meet bilaterally with Washington (NPR)
UN Nuclear Chief Visits Tehran to Prep for Nuclear Talks
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said Iran hoped the visit by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi would be “constructive.” Talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are set to resume next week (Agence France-Presse)
UN Nuclear Watchdog: Iran Has Boosted Stockpile of Highly Enriched Uranium
The stockpile has reached nearly 4,500 pounds, several times more than the cap agreed to in the 2015 nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency said (Al Jazeera)
Tehran Signals Its Alliance With Moscow Before Nuclear Talks Resume
In a phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the future of the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran and other world powers are set to resume talks on reviving the nuclear deal later this month. Raisi also told Putin that Iran is ready to finalize an economic cooperation agreement with Russia (Bloomberg)
Iran Releases Vietnamese Tanker Following U.S. Confrontation
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a Vietnamese oil tanker it seized in late October following a confrontation with the United States Navy in the Sea of Oman (Al Jazeera)
Iran to Rejoin Nuclear Negotiations
After a five-month hiatus in negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian and European Union envoys confirmed that talks will resume in Vienna on November 29 (Bloomberg)
U.S. Denies Iranian Claim That the U.S. Attempted to Seize Oil Tanker and Failed
Iran reported they successfully blocked an attempt by the U.S. Navy to seize an oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, but U.S. officials denied the U.S. Navy ever made this attempt (Al Jazeera)
Iranian Official Announces Tehran Will Return to Nuclear Talks in November
Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani tweeted the announcement and said a date for the negotiations would be revealed next week (Washington Post)
Iranian and EU Envoys Resume Nuclear Negotiations
EU envoy Enrique Mora will meet with Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani in Brussels today in hopes of reviving stalled nuclear talks (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
UN Official Claims Iran Did Not Repair Cameras at a Key Nuclear Facility
Director General Rafael Grossi of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran has not allowed the IAEA to access cameras in a facility tasked to make centrifuge parts, leaving the monitoring system “no longer intact” (The Hill)
U.S. Envoy for Iran Begins Weeklong Mideast Trip
Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley will travel to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in hopes of reviving stalled negotiations on the nuclear deal with Iran (National)
United States Urges China to Cut Iranian Oil Imports
The United States called on China to reduce its purchases of Iranian crude oil as the United States aims to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (Reuters)
Iran Denies U.S. Demand for UN Access to Nuclear Site
Iranian Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Mohammad Eslami denied a request from the United States to allow UN inspectors to access a nuclear site, citing the United States’ failure to “condemn terrorist acts” against the Iranian nuclear site (Reuters)
Iran Angles for Entry Into Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is attending a summit of the China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which Iran is expected to join (Bloomberg)
Iran Replaces Deputy Foreign Minister
Ali Bagheri Kani, a hard-line critic of the 2015 nuclear deal, will take over as Iran’s deputy foreign minister. His predecessor, Abbas Araghchi, was Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, though it is unclear if Bagheri Kani will also take up this role (National)
Meanwhile, diplomats have accused Iranian security guards of sexually harassing several female UN nuclear inspectors (Wall Street Journal)