TOP STORIES
Big Gaps in Intelligence on Iran’s Nuke Program Threaten Push for Quick Deal | Wall Street Journal
President Trump is calling for Iran to “go fast” to secure a new nuclear accord. But for any deal to work, Tehran will have to account for exactly what nuclear program hardware it has produced and stowed away. . . . The critical gap in IAEA knowledge of Iran’s nuclear program is Iran’s inventory of centrifuges, machines that spin uranium into higher levels of enrichment.
Trump: We Had Very Good Meetings on Iran; Need a Little Time | Times of Israel
Referencing the second round of nuclear talks with Iran over the weekend, US President Donald Trump tells reports, “We had very good meetings actually on Iran.” Asked what will happen next, Trump responds, “The next step is we need a little time.”
U.S. and Iran Conclude a Second Round of Nuclear Talks | New York Times
Iran and the United States wrapped up a second round of diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear activities, setting an agenda for rapid-paced negotiations that, according to Iran, would not require the dismantlement of the country’s extensive nuclear infrastructure. Instead, according to Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, an expert group will meet next week to discuss technical details, including the maximum levels to which Iran could enrich uranium, the size of nuclear stockpiles it could retain and how compliance with any agreement could be monitored and verified. But implicit in those talks is the assumption that President Trump is willing to back down from the administration’s original insistence that all of Iran’s major nuclear sites and long-range missile arsenals must be subject to what Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, recently called “full dismantlement.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
UK Charity Bosses Hosted by Iranian Military Chief Linked to Terrorism | Times of London
British charity bosses were hosted by a military chief in Iran and expressed devotion to the leaders of its regime. Syeda Umme Farwa and Ali Iffi, trustees of Labaik Ya Zahra (LYZ), a charity registered in the UK which says its objective is to “help mankind” by advancing the Muslim faith and women’s rights, flew from London to Tehran to hold “cultural programmes.” During the trip last year they were filmed at a meeting with Second Brigadier General Majid Hashemi-Dana, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). . . . Details of the engagement were obtained by the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), as part of its campaign to investigate more than 30 groups based in Britain with alleged links to the regime. LYZ, which has five trustees and 54 volunteers, operates across Britain. The Charity Commission is investigating its activities after UANI found material suggesting it had hosted alleged Iranian extremists with links to terrorism at its annual conference held in Iran last year. . . . Kasra Aarabi, from UANI, said the visit demonstrated a “blatant and disturbing” relationship between a British charity and the regime.
In February 2025, US President Donald Trump designated a series of cartels as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), including Tren de Aragua (TdA) and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), among others. Previously, the US Treasury Department sanctioned MS-13 as a Transnational Criminal Organization under Executive Order 13581. The Trump administration similarly designated Foxtrot, which has been used by Iranian intelligence, under the same authority last month. This should lay the groundwork for Washington to respond to an increasingly aggressive Iran, which has rallied more extraterritorial operations in both the United States and Europe, using a network of criminal gangs. . . . Washington and its allies should capitalize on the momentum from the Trump administration’s increased designations and begin sanctioning these criminal networks as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
Iran Foreign Minister’s Nuclear Speech Canceled After Dispute with Organizers | Iran International
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace canceled a planned virtual conversation with Iran’s foreign minister [Abbas Araghchi] at its nuclear policy conference after his team requested changes limiting questions from the moderator and audience, the organization said on Saturday. . . . Araghchi’s invitation to the event had sparked backlash on social media from several US politicians as well as Iranian activists and diaspora members. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and current head of advocacy group United Against a Nuclear Iran criticized the invitation, saying that American think tanks should not “normalize officials from a regime which has plotted to kill President Trump and other Americans.”
UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Discusses the Latest Round of Nuclear Talks | i24
“I think the objectives of the Iranian regime are to lure the United States into a repackaged version of the JCPOA of 2015—or an even worse agreement—by using a variety of gimmicks, while maintaining Iranian red lines and the fundamental principles of that Obama-era JCPOA,” Brodsky said.
[T]he Islamic Republic has entered talks with the Trump administration not because of external pressure but in order to preserve the essential features of its expanding nuclear infrastructure — and they feel confident they can achieve this if the talks proceed. Along the way, the clerical regime might agree to dilute its stock of 60 percent-enriched uranium, which is near weapons-grade, or even cap enrichment at a lower level. It would be a flashy concession that won’t fundamentally affect the complexion or the trajectory of Tehran’s nuclear program. The mullahs know that what matters most are protecting its new generation of centrifuges. With much greater efficiency and speed, these machines can enrich uranium to bomb-grade and can be housed in small facilities that are harder to detect.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Nuclear Talks to Enter ‘Next Phase’ After Negotiations in Rome | Politico
A statement from the Omani Foreign Ministry, which has been acting as a mediator, outlined further details about the talks. The two officials “have agreed to enter into the next phase of their discussions that aim to seal a fair, enduring and binding deal which will ensure Iran completely free of nuclear weapons and sanctions, and maintaining its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy,” the Omani statement read.
US Says Nuclear Talks with Iran Made ‘Very Good Progress’ | Associated Press
Iran and the United States plan to meet over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program again next week, after the sides described their talks Saturday as “constructive” and making “very good progress.”
In Iran Talks, Trump Is Edging Toward Reviving an Old Deal | New York Times
The question of whether to allow Iran to retain the ability to produce nuclear fuel — with the risk that it could use it to create a bomb — has sharply divided Mr. Trump’s advisers. . . . And agreeing to limits on how much uranium Iran can possess and how much enrichment it can perform exposes Mr. Trump to the critique that he is simply replicating key elements of the 2015 Obama-era nuclear agreement, which he called a “disaster” and ultimately ripped up in 2018. . . . Mr. Witkoff has told administration officials privately that if they insist on full dismantlement, he is unlikely to emerge from the talks with a deal — the only way to avoid a military attack on Iran’s facilities, Mr. Trump has said. . . . Iran has raised the possibility of a joint venture to run its nuclear enrichment facilities, an option that would allow the Trump administration to declare it has struck a different kind of deal than the Obama administration did.
Iran Says Talks with U.S. to Continue After ‘Positive’ Meeting | Wall Street Journal
“In addition to the guarantees, the Iranians were expected to discuss ways that their current stockpile of enriched uranium could be managed under a deal. They also plan to discuss a process for lifting economic sanctions and their hope to organize a high-level visit in Washington, Iranian and Arab officials say. . . . In the Saturday talks at the Omani Embassy in Italy, Araghchi was expected to propose a framework Tehran hopes would ensure the U.S. doesn’t withdraw from a future nuclear pact, said European and Iranian officials and another person familiar with the Iranian position. As part of those guarantees, Iran wants the U.S. to cover Tehran’s losses if Washington was to pull out of a deal, according to these people. The idea of a financial penalty if the U.S. withdrew from a deal was floated by the Iranians to the Biden administration officials, but that idea went nowhere.”
Iran Wants Guarantees Trump Will Not Quit a New Nuclear Pact, Iranian Official Says | Reuters
Iran told the United States in talks last week it was ready to accept some limits on its uranium enrichment but needed watertight guarantees President Donald Trump would not again ditch a nuclear pact, a senior Iranian official said on Friday. . . . Tehran's red lines “mandated by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei” could not be compromised in the talks, the official told Reuters, describing Iran's negotiating position on condition of anonymity. He said those red lines meant Iran would never agree to dismantle its centrifuges for enriching uranium, halt enrichment altogether, or reduce the amount of enriched uranium it stores to a level below the level it agreed in the 2015 deal that Trump abandoned.
Iran’s Enrichment Machines Raise Stakes in Nuclear Talks | Iran International
Diplomatic sources told Iran International this week that President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, “welcomed a three-stage proposal presented by the Iranian side” during the first round of negotiations in Oman on April 12. . . . What the diplomats did not clarify is the fate of roughly 17,000 uranium enrichment machines, known as centrifuges—arguably the most critical component of Iran’s current nuclear program. These are the machines capable of refining uranium to weapons-grade levels of 90%. . . . Since the US withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran has significantly increased its number of centrifuges in operation and deployed more advanced models with higher output. If Tehran is allowed to retain a substantial portion of this infrastructure, it could resume higher-level enrichment at any time.
As Iran Talks Resume, White House Fends Off Bombing Hawks | Washington Post
A battle within President Donald Trump’s inner circle over what to do about Iran has been resolved for the moment by Trump’s decision to pursue diplomacy with Tehran. But as U.S. and Iranian negotiators head toward a second round of talks Saturday in Rome, it remains unclear what outcome Trump is seeking and how long he is prepared to wait for it.
UN Nuclear Watchdog Says US-Iran Talks at a ‘Very Crucial’ Stage | Associated Press
Talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program are “in a very crucial” stage, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Thursday while on a visit to the Islamic Republic.
Trump Envoy Bypasses European Involvement in Iran Nuclear Talks | Times of London
When President Trump’s most trusted envoy meets with Iranian negotiators on Saturday, one traditional source of allied expertise will be missing: the deep bench of European experience on the continent built up over two decades of nuclear diplomacy with Tehran.
Iran Nuclear Talks: Window of Opportunity to Strike a Deal Is Shrinking, France Warns | The National
The window of opportunity for the US and Iran to strike a deal on a new nuclear pact is rapidly closing, the French Foreign Affairs Ministry warned on Friday, ahead of a second round of talks between Washington and Tehran in Rome on Saturday.
Trump to Reporters: Your Life Will Be in Great Danger If Iran Gets Nuclear Weapon | Times of Israel
US President Donald Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office that their lives “will be in great danger” if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, before someone standing near the press pool collapses, leading to an abrupt end of the public event. “With Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon. And if they have a nuclear weapon, you’ll all be very unhappy. You’ll all be very unhappy because your life will be in great danger,” Trump says before an individual experienced a medical episode.
The Iranian media is portraying Tehran as holding a strong position after Saturday’s nuclear talks with the United States, ahead of further discussions in Oman in the coming days. The headline of the Kayhan newspaper, whose editorial line has long opposed any compromise or negotiations with the US, read: “Iran’s military might has forced America to negotiate.” . . . State news agency IRNA said the Iranian stock market saw a “historic” boost on Saturday, while the rial strengthened on the black market, trading at around 830,000 to the dollar on Sunday, an improvement from over one million to the dollar before the talks began.
Obamaworld Cheers Trump’s Diplomacy with Iran | Jewish Insider
Several left-leaning national security experts who served in the Obama administration and were staunch advocates for the JCPOA are now cautiously cheering on the emerging potential outline of Trump’s deal as his team flits between Rome and Oman for negotiations.
Iran Offers to Help Trump Revive US Nuclear Sector in Canceled Speech | Newsweek
Iran's top diplomat sought to entice President Donald Trump’s administration with up to tens of billions of dollars’ worth of contracts to help revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry in a canceled speech. The address was to be delivered virtually Monday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Conference. The organizers mandated, however, that Araghchi then open up to questions, a condition that led to his team pulling out of the event.
We Don’t Need a Fake Deal With Iran | Mike Pompeo in the Free Press
American isolationists on the right, and their allies in Obama-aligned think tanks in Washington, suggest there are only two options: war or a deal. Nonsense.
In 2015, it was widely understood that Iran was still months to years away from having a workable nuclear weapon. In buying time, there was an opportunity to use it to try to reach an agreement that permanently and fully resolved the issue, with the knowledge that if Iran cheated on the deal, it would still be months to years away from having a nuclear weapon. Today, that time no longer exists. Any deal, therefore, would have to be far more stringent than the JCPOA because Iran is now one to two weeks from having enough 60 percent enriched uranium to fuel a nuclear bomb, with the ability to fuel up to five additional bombs in the months to follow. Moreover, Iran has advanced efforts for a crude nuclear device, even if US intelligence is correct that the country is not “building a nuclear weapon” in the traditional sense.
Iran Gains Ground as the U.S. Fumbles | Yossi Mansharof in i24
[D]espite persistent gaps in the negotiations, Tehran has succeeded in halting the negative momentum against it in both Israel and the U.S. It has also slowed the deterioration of its strategic balance, without offering any meaningful concession. Alongside these developments, Tehran has also managed to plant the notion within circles in the U.S. and Israel that diplomacy, despite its flaws, is preferable to the risks of military escalation. Perhaps most troubling, this evolving consensus risks becoming a trap. By clinging to diplomacy alone, Washington may forfeit a rare moment of leverage—one that could have compelled more substantial Iranian compromises.
Iran’s Long Trail of Deception Fuels Skepticism over New Nuclear Deal as Talks Continue | Fox News
[R]etired Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst, said Iran is reintroducing its “playbook” that [was] used to secure the JCPOA from Obama and termed its strategy a “bold-faced lie” that led to the "disastrous 2015" agreement. Keane said Iran is repackaging the lie that it will reduce highly enriched uranium down to a low percentage and not use it for a nuclear weapon. Instead, it will employ it for civilian commercial nuclear power. Keane added that the Iranians “think the Trump administration is going to buy this. After all, in 2018, Trump pulled out of that very deal.”
Tehran Needs US Talks to Live, Ex-Iranian Diplomat Says | Iran International
The Islamic Republic will seek a new lease on life in US talks, former Iranian diplomat Hossein Alizadeh told the Eye for Iran podcast, adding that Iran's rulers will never abandon their hardline ideology against the West. “It is ideology, flexible ideology. Extremist, but flexible,” Alizadeh said. “Using lies, creating lies—that’s part of their strategy.” Alizadeh, who served in Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 22 years, said Tehran’s current posture is motivated by a desire to stay afloat amid both internal unrest and external pressure.
Iran’s Ali Shamkhani, the political adviser to the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has shared the nine principles guiding Tehran’s policy on a possible deal with the United States.
Iran laying the principles openly on the table is interesting, and they also seem to represent a view closer to Khamenei, who has been suspicious of a deal with the US.
The Winning Formula for Talks with Iran | Ilan Berman
President Trump has made clear he hopes the issue can be resolved peacefully. In order for that to have a chance of happening, though, America’s approach will need to stick to a clear bottom line. The Iranian regime needs to understand in unequivocal terms that if it wants to stay in business, it needs to get out of the nuclear business altogether. Any deal that falls short of that formulation will be a political victory for the ayatollahs—and a strategic risk for everyone else.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran and the U.S. Plan Expert-Level Talks over Tehran’s Nuclear Program | NPR
[T]wo used Airbus A330-200 long sought by Iran's flag carrier, Iran Air, arrived at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport on Thursday, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed. The planes, formerly of China's Hainan Airlines, had been in Muscat and re-registered to Iran. The aircraft have Rolls-Royce engines, which include significant American parts and servicing. Such a transaction would need approval from the U.S. Treasury given sanctions on Iran. The State Department and Treasury did not respond to requests for comment. Under the 2015 deal, Iran could purchase new aircraft and had lined up tens of billions of dollars in deals with Airbus and Boeing Co. However, the manufacturers backed away from the deals over Trump's threats to the nuclear accord.
EU Needs to Decide on Possible Iran Sanctions, Rubio Says | Reuters
Europe needs to decide if it is willing to reimpose sanctions on Iran when it becomes clear it is close to developing a nuclear weapon, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. “The Europeans have a decision to make, because I believe we should all anticipate that they're about to get a report from the IAEA that says not just Iran is out of compliance, but Iran is dangerously close to a weapon, closer than they've ever been,” Rubio said in Paris after meeting with European leaders. . . . “It has to be something that not just prevents Iran from having a nuclear weapon now,” he said about a possible agreement. “But in the future as well, not just for ten years with some sort of sunset provision or the like.”
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Husband Kills Pregnant Wife in Northeastern Iran | IranWire
Deputy Police Commander in northeastern Nehbandan has reported that a man killed his pregnant wife, who was six months into her pregnancy. . . . Iranian media have reported at least four similar cases of pregnant women killed by their husbands in recent months, including an April 7 incident in western Kermanshah, where a man murdered his wife because she was carrying a female child. In Iran, official bodies do not provide accurate statistics on femicides, though such incidents are frequently reported in Iranian newspapers. According to Etemad newspaper, 78 women were murdered by their relatives or family members between March and September last year.
‘Koocheh’ Music Festival Canceled in Southern Iran | IranWire
The “Koocheh” music festival, scheduled to be held in southern Bushehr, has been canceled following criticism from Friday prayer imams in the province. . . . Hassan Mosleh, the Friday prayer imam of Dashtestan, criticized the festival during a recent sermon, accusing it of using the promotion of traditional culture as a pretext for “gender mixing, the removal of hijab, and crossing religious and cultural red lines.”
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Israel Still Eyeing a Limited Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities | Reuters
Israel has not ruled out an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in the coming months despite President Donald Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. was for now unwilling to support such a move, according to an Israeli official and two other people familiar with the matter. . . . Israeli officials now believe that their military could instead launch a limited strike on Iran that would require less U.S. support. Such an attack would be significantly smaller than those Israel initially proposed.
Iran Parades Missiles Through the Streets in a Show of Force as Nuclear Talks Ramp Up | NBC News
On Army Day in Iran, the Islamic Republic displayed its military might, parading thousands of troops through the streets of the capital, Tehran, along with its S-300 missile defense system, drones and other military hardware.
As tensions rise over Iran’s nuclear program, the Israeli Air Force conducted drills earlier today simulating missile and rocket attacks on its bases—the same ones targeted in previous Iranian strikes in April and October 2024, according to a Kan news report. The exercise aims to boost readiness in case US-Iran nuclear talks collapse, Kan says.
Jordanian security forces this week surprised many by suddenly arresting Khaled al‑Juhani, secretary‑general of the Islamic Labor Party tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. No reasons were given at the time. A day later, Information Minister Mohammad al‑Muamini revealed at a news briefing that investigators suspect al‑Juhani of channeling money from overseas Brotherhood operatives to 16 Jordanians accused of plotting attacks inside the kingdom. Those suspects are said to belong to four clandestine terror cells that allegedly manufactured rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles in southern Lebanon before storing them in two underground depots in the city of Zarqa. . . Jordanian officials finger Iran as the mastermind behind the scheme, saying Tehran recruited, funded and armed the cells. Interrogators learned that one suspect traveled abroad to collect tens of thousands of dollars sent from Iran for weapons purchases. Jordan’s spymasters have warned their Western counterparts that Iran is bent on destabilizing the kingdom, overthrowing King Abdullah II and targeting senior officials and ordinary citizens alike.
Israel Will Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Stop Iran Gaining Nuclear Weapons, Katz Vows | Times of Israel
[Israeli] Defense Minister Israel Katz says he is committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, a day after The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump quashed Israeli proposals for joint strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The US General Israel Doesn’t Want to Strike Iran Without | Yedioth Ahronoth
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla, seen as one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the American defense establishment, has reportedly become the leading voice within the U.S. military advocating for a joint strike with Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Since Hamas’ October 7 attack, Kurilla has played a central role in reinforcing U.S.-Israel military coordination, including initiating the deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers to the region. Now, with only a few months left in his post, Kurilla is leading a faction in Washington pushing for coordinated military action against Iran — a stance opposed by others in the Trump administration who favor diplomatic engagement.
Earlier this month, observers pointed out the lack of activity by Iran’s Nedaja along the Red Sea. The presence of two U.S. Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) across Bab al-Mandab is cited as possible reason behind Iran breaking its naval “continuous presence in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area since 2008.” This unique absence also highlights the redeployment of Iranian spy vessels . . . which “have played an important role in the collection of intelligence and its dissemination to Iran’s Houthi allies.” This unique coincidence may have contributed to recent reports claiming Iran has abandoned Houthis. Recent events however show an East Africa footprint provides the Iran-Houthi alliance capabilities to retain threats along the Red Sea.
SPACE PROGRAM
Iran’s Space Program Is Growing Stronger Despite US Sanctions | Bloomberg
For years, construction has been underway to transform the sun-drenched coastal town [of Chabahar] into an economic hub, including a spaceport that’s set to open this year. The plan is to build the equivalent of Florida’s Cape Canaveral to anchor the Islamic Republic’s space ambitions. It’s a program that President Donald Trump has tried to stop because the US sees the technologies for space launches and ballistic missiles as virtually identical. During his first term, the US imposed sanctions on Iran’s space agency, but that hasn’t prevented Iran from building one of the most advanced programs in the Middle East—with the Iranian Space Agency and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps both sending rockets and satellites to orbit.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
North Korea, Iran, Russia-Backed Hackers Deploy ClickFix in New Attacks | Hackread.com
Government-backed hacking groups from North Korea (TA427), Iran (TA450), and Russia (UNK_RemoteRogue, TA422) are now using the ClickFix technique in their espionage campaigns. . . . In November 2024, TA450 (MuddyWater, Mango Sandstorm) targeted 39 organisations, mainly finance and government sectors, in the Middle East with fake Microsoft security update emails. They used ClickFix to persuade users to run PowerShell commands that installed the Level RMM tool, which the attackers intended to use for espionage and data theft.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran-US Nuclear Talks in Rome Stir Public Resentment | Iran International
The resumption of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States in Rome has drawn criticism from Iranians who view the talks as irrelevant to their daily lives and potentially beneficial only to the leadership in Tehran.
Invoking Sacred History, Khamenei Allies Justify Flexibility in US Talks | Iran International
In the wake of talks with the US, Iran's hardliners have used historical parallels as a way to justify negotiations on the country's nuclear program which had initially been rejected by the Supreme Leader and his hardline allies. In the days following the first round of indirect talks in Oman on April 12, which were followed by further discussions in Rome on Saturday, clerics, political figures, and media outlets compared a potential US-Iran agreement with a treaty the Prophet Muhammad signed with his adversaries in Mecca in 628 CE, showing a rare softened tone.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, & IRAN
Moscow May Gain Key Role in Iran Nuclear Deal as US Talks Progress | Guardian
Russia could play a key role in a deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, with Moscow being touted not only as a possible destination for Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but also as a possible arbiter of deal breaches.
Putin Ratifies Russia-Iran Agreement to Strengthen Military, Diplomatic Ties | Jerusalem Post
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday. The agreement is expected to strengthen military and diplomatic ties between Moscow and Tehran. As part of the agreement, the two countries agreed not to provide military assistance to any third party with which the other is in hot conflict, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Khamenei Reassures Putin: U.S. Nuclear Talks Won’t Affect Iran-Russia Ties | IranWire
Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, assuring him that Iran-U.S. nuclear talks would not weaken relations with Russia. . . . Jalali said Putin was pleased with Khamenei’s message and reaffirmed his commitment to continued cooperation.
Iran Seeks Russia’s Support for Its Nuclear Talks with US | Associated Press
Iran on Friday sought support from Russia over a possible deal with Washington over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, ahead of a second round of talks this weekend in Rome.
Iran filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom on April 17, seeking to overturn a ruling by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that held Tehran responsible for the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet.
CHINA & IRAN
Iran’s Top Diplomat to Visit China on Tuesday | Reuters
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit China on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, ahead of a third round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington due on Saturday in Oman.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
Trump to Speak with Netanyahu on Monday to Discuss Hostage Deal, Iran | Jerusalem Post
US President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday on the phone to discuss the hostage deal in Gaza as well as the nuclear talks with Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Trump Envoy Quietly Met Israeli Officials Ahead of Iran Nuclear Talks | Axios
Two top Israeli officials had an unannounced meeting in Paris on Friday with White House envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, three Israeli sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios. . . . Ron Dermer and David Barnea, Israel’s strategic affairs minister and the director of the Mossad intelligence agency, slipped into Paris for the low-profile meeting with Witkoff to try to influence the U.S. position ahead of the second round of talks in Rome on Saturday, the officials said.
Mossad Director David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer were seemingly unable to talk down US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff from the direction he is taking in the Iran nuclear negotiations during a secret meeting on Friday in Paris, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Netanyahu: We Will Not Surrender to Hamas, Iran Won’t Have a Nuclear Weapon | Jerusalem Post
[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] insisted he remains totally committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also attacked those who have criticized him recently for failing to take military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, claiming that those same critics opposed actions he took against Iran in the past.
Israel Vows No Retreat amid U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks | Jewish Insider
Israel is unhappy with the direction U.S.-Iran talks appear to be taking but continues to be in direct communication with the Trump administration, an Israeli official told Jewish Insider . . . “It sure does look like the JCPOA,” the official said, comparing the details that have been made public from the negotiations to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. “Are we happy with it? I don’t think that’s come across in any of the statements the prime minister has made.” . . . Still, the official told JI, “at least there is a sense that we are very much a participant in this exercise, in the sense that we are in continuous contact with the U.S.”
Israel, New US Envoy Warn Iran Seeks Their Destruction | Iran International
The Israeli president and new US Ambassador Mike Huckabee warned Monday of what they called Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional aggression, saying Tehran seeks the destruction of both Israel and the US.
“A kind of coalition is forming… to undermine and disrupt the diplomatic process,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters, saying Israel was behind the effort. “Alongside it are a series of warmongering currents in the United States and figures from different factions,” the spokesman added.
Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet, with Iran in Focus | Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet this evening at 8 p.m., the office of one of the ministers tells The Times of Israel. Iran’s nuclear program and US-Iran talks will be on the agenda, a second source says.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Saudi Arabia Opposed Obama’s Deal with Iran. It Supports Trump’s. Why? | New York Times
Ten years ago, when former President Barack Obama and other leaders reached a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, Saudi Arabia was dismayed. . . . Now, as a second Trump administration negotiates with Iran on a deal that might have very similar contours to the previous one, the view from Saudi Arabia looks quite different. . . . What changed? Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have warmed over the past decade. As important, Saudi Arabia is in the middle of an economic diversification program intended to transform the kingdom from being overly dependent on oil into a business, technology and tourism hub. The prospect of Iranian drones and missiles flying over Saudi Arabia because of regional tensions poses a serious threat to that plan.
Saudi Defense Minister’s Visit to Iran Turning Point in Ties: Tehran’s Envoy to Riyadh | Al Arabiya
Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, told Al Arabiya on Monday that last week’s visit by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to Tehran marked a “turning point” in relations between the two countries. . . . Prince Khalid met last week with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran where he delivered a letter from King Salman. During his trip, Prince Khalid also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and chief of staff of the armed forces Mohammad Bagheri.
TURKEY & IRAN
With Ankara warning Tehran not to undermine Syria’s new rulers and its ongoing peace efforts with Kurdish rebels, regional rivalry with Iran has been intensifying. However, Turkey’s concerns about potential US military action against Iran over its nuclear energy programme are now providing a rare point of convergence between the two rivals.