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Asked about reports that he recently quashed Israeli proposals for a series of joint strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump acknowledges that while he didn’t block Israel’s plans outright, he “didn’t make it comfortable” for them to proceed. . . . “I didn’t make it comfortable for them, but I didn’t say no,” Trump repeats. “Ultimately, I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped.” Asked if he is worried about being “dragged in” to a war with Iran by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump says that, to the contrary, he “may go in very willingly,” if negotiations fail. “If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack,” he asserts.
U.S. Negotiating Position on Iran in Flux as Talks Continue | Washington Post
A technical team of U.S. officials will meet with Iranian counterparts Saturday in Oman, the next step in the Trump administration’s negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program. . . . In their initial planning meeting, members of the technical team raised questions about several aspects of the U.S. position, including seemingly contradictory statements by administration officials on whether Iran should be allowed any enrichment capability at all.
Iran Raised Possible Interim Nuclear Deal with U.S., Sources Say | Axios
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told White House envoy Steve Witkoff during nuclear talks on Saturday that it might not be possible to reach a final nuclear accord on President Trump’s proposed timetable and asked whether the sides should first negotiate an interim deal, two sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios. . . . Witkoff told Araghchi he doesn't want to discuss an interim deal for the time being. Instead, he wants to focus on reaching a comprehensive deal within 60 days. If that both parties think significantly more time is needed as that deadline approaches, they can revisit the idea of an interim deal, Witkoff said according to the sources.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Has Trump Moved on from Dismantling Iran's Nuclear Program? | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
High-stakes nuclear talks between the United States and Iran have already entered the technical phase after just two rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), sees the current trajectory not as a concession but as strategic pressure. “A Trump doctrine on Iran takes shape where it gives Iran a choice: Either you dismantle your nuclear program or the US and/or Israel will dismantle it for you,” he said. . . . Brodsky offered a sharper view, calling the negotiations “a shield” that Tehran uses to protect its nuclear work from further scrutiny or action. “Iran only loses should the negotiations collapse,” he said. “The United States, however, does not need the talks as much as Iran does.” . . . Brodsky, however, is doubtful that any deal short of full dismantlement can truly prevent Iran from using its nuclear program as leverage. He views even low-level enrichment—such as the 3.67 percent limit under the JCPOA—as a threat. “Its right to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent under the JCPOA was part of [an] extortion racket,” he said, referring to Iran teasing nuclear weapons acquisition. “The continuation of this negotiation process leads some observers to believe the United States has conceded a right to enrich uranium to Iran,” Brodsky said. “I believe the Trump administration is still defining the contours of what an acceptable deal would look like.”
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Trump Says Effort for Iran Nuclear Deal Going Well | Reuters
“I think we're doing very well on an agreement with Iran. That one is well on its way—we could have a very, very good decision. And a lot of lives will be saved,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
US Names Michael Anton to Lead Technical Talks with Iran | Politico
The Trump administration has named senior State Department official Michael Anton to lead the U.S. technical team in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program . . . Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, is leading a team of about a dozen, largely career officials from across the government to hash out the details of an agreement that would place significant constraints on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. . . . Anton is a low-profile and increasingly powerful administration official who worked on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration and later served as a fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute. He has not yet staked out a public stance on the Iran file, which has long stoked intense and divisive debate in Washington.
In a 2020 Fox News interview, Anton said that the original Iran deal was flawed in part because it provided significant up-front financial benefits to Iran before the provisions more favorable to the U.S. took effect, which Iran used to fuel terrorism. He said Trump was “right to object to that” and reimpose sanctions. He said that cutting off Iranian resources would de-escalate, rather than escalate conflict. He also supported the U.S. strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Anton said on Fox and in a 2019 interview with NPR that he views Iran as generally cautious, retreating if it faces strong resistance.
Iran Rejects Demand from US to Rely on Imported Uranium | Guardian
Iran has insisted it must be allowed to have its own uranium enrichment capacity for its civil nuclear programme, rejecting a US demand that Tehran must rely exclusively on imported nuclear fuel. Iran’s chief negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, speaking in China, said: “If America’s only demand is that Iran not have nuclear weapons, this is an achievable demand, but if it has impractical and illogical demands, it is natural that we will run into problems.”
Negotiations between Iran and the United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program will return Saturday to the secluded sultanate of Oman, where experts on both sides will start hammering the technical details of any possible deal. Neither Iran nor the U.S. have offered any explanation on why the talks will return to the Omani capital of Muscat, nestled in the Hajar Mountains. Oman has been a mediator between the countries. Last weekend’s talks in Rome offered a more-equal flight distance between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who are leading the negotiations.
Israel is deeply concerned that the US is closing in on a “bad deal” with Iran that will not meet Israel’s stated essential conditions for ensuring the regime cannot attain nuclear weapons, Channel 12 reports. The report says Israel believes the negotiations ordered by President Donald Trump with Iran, led by envoy Steve Witkoff, are “very, very advanced,” and that the US is not sharing enough information with Israel on key specific issues. . . . It says that during their telephone conversation on Tuesday, Netanyahu told Trump that he “does not rule out a diplomatic approach” but only on condition that the resulting deal would “leave no trace” of Iran’s nuclear program. Trump confirmed that this is the American intention, the report says, and that the 60-day deadline he had set for a negotiated resolution remains in force, Channel 12 adds.
Iran, France Signal Readiness for Nuclear Talks amid US Negotiations | Reuters
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday he was ready to travel to Europe for talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, with France indicating European powers were also ready for dialogue if Tehran showed it was seriously engaged. "Iran's relations with the E3 ... have experienced ups and downs in recent history. Like it or not, they are currently down," Araqchi wrote on X. "I once again propose diplomacy. After my recent consultations in Moscow & Beijing, I am ready to take the first step with visits to Paris, Berlin & London ... The ball is now in the E3's court."
EU Carefully Observing US-Iran Talks, Says Parliament Foreign Affairs Chairman | The National
The EU is closely monitoring the nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, as a third round of high-stakes talks is scheduled to take place on Saturday in Muscat. “We are carefully observing the ongoing negotiations,” said David McAllister, chairman of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee. “For us, one thing is clear: we are committed to dialogue and diplomacy - but also to accountability and restraint.”
How Mossad Stole Iran’s Nuclear Playbook | Itay Ilnai in Israel Hayom
The “Iranian nuclear archive” revealed not only site locations, documentation, and photographs but also raw information on track-covering operations and concealment methods used to hide from inspectors. Now, as the Trump administration is invested in new negotiations with Tehran, it’s important to remember what anyone who has studied the archive documents understands—the question is not if, but how Iran will violate the agreement.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Tanzanian Register Disowns Ships Seized by Iran in Fuel Smuggling Crackdown | TradeWinds
The Tanzanian flag has said two vessels seized by Iran in the Middle East this week were no longer on its books. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had arrested two Tanzanian-flagged ships carrying 1.5m litres of smuggled diesel on Tuesday.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Protester Blinded in 2022 Crackdown Flees Iran | IranWire
Arvin Salimi, a 24-year-old Kurdish man from Dehgolan who was blinded by Islamic Republic's forces during the 2022 protest crackdown, has fled Iran. Salimi left the country due to mounting pressure and legal action from Iranian authorities. . . . In mid-March 2025, Branch 102 of the Second Criminal Court of Dehgolan sentenced him to one year in prison for alleged “membership in Kurdish opposition parties.” He also faced charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Beyond the Hijab: Discrimination Against Women Pervades Iranian Law | Iran International
Camel-denominated blood money and minutes-long temporary marriages are among the peculiar features of a medieval theocratic legal system by which Iran systematically enforces second-class citizenship on women. Iran’s Sharia-based legal system contains a litany of provisions that discriminate against women, particularly in the areas of criminal, family, and inheritance law. The measures go far beyond state enforcement of the Islamic face veil, which has become a symbol of the system's attempt to control and dominate women for the Islamic Republic's near-half-century existence.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Trump Says Open to Meeting Iran’s Supreme Leader or President | Iran International
US President Donald Trump said he is open to meeting with Iran’s President or Supreme Leader, as Washington and Tehran continue indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear program. “Sure,” Trump said in an interview with Time magazine when asked if he would be willing to meet Iran’s top leaders.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
‘Iran Is Doing All It Can to Rebuild Its Air Defenses’ | Yaakov Lappin in Jewish News Syndicate
Iran’s public display of Russian-made S-300 components during its April 18 Army Day parade in Tehran has renewed debate over the state of its air defense network and its implications for Israeli Air Force (IAF) operational freedom.
ASSASSINATION PLOTS
Netherlands Summons Iranian Ambassador over Alleged Assassination Attempts | Reuters
Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned on Thursday after the Dutch intelligence agency said it suspected Tehran of being behind two assassination attempts in Europe, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. “The two assassination attempts fit into the modus operandi that Iran has been using for years: using criminal networks in Europe to silence purported opponents of the regime. Based on intelligence, it is likely that Iran is responsible for the two liquidation attempts,” the [Dutch general intelligence agency, known as the AIVD] said.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Divide over Iran-US Negotiations Spreads to Khamenei’s Office | Iran International
A growing divide in Iran over how to approach negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear program appears to have reached the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has largely silenced Tehran’s hardliners ahead of the third round of talks with Washington but some opposition persists within his own office.
Iran’s Chief Justice, a Theocratic Stalwart, Rebrands in an Uncertain Age | Iran International
Long one of the Islamic Republic's staunchest ultra-conservatives, cleric and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has lately championed anti-corruption and urged caution on a new hijab law in a shift which has confounded allies. But as Iran has reeled from the sudden death of a president, regional setbacks as well as deepening unrest and poverty, the rebranding by a conservative political fixture may be a calculated maneuver to survive in one of Tehran's most uncertain times.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, & IRAN
Iran Signs $4bn Deal with Russian Firms to Develop Oil Fields, Minister Says | Iran International
Iran has finalized four agreements worth a total investment of $4 billion with Russian companies to develop seven oil fields, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said. . . . Paknejad also said that discussions are underway on importing natural gas from Russia in an initial phase, followed by gas swaps and transit to other countries. . . . Separately, Saeed Tavakkoli, managing director of Iran’s National Gas Company, said progress has been made on an earlier agreement with Russia to transfer gas to northern Iran, where domestic production is limited.
Iranian Oil Minister, in Moscow, Seeks to Bolster Ties with Russia | Reuters
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said during a visit to Moscow on Friday that Iran would boost cooperation with Russia in agriculture and banking and remove barriers in all spheres of cooperation between the two countries.
CHINA & IRAN
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing this week and spoke optimistically about Iran-China relations. The two countries have grown increasingly closer in recent years. This is because Iran is also involved in talks over a deal with the US. Tehran is hedging, hoping to gain closer ties with China to shore up support for the Islamic Republic.
China, Russia and Iran Jointly Discuss Iran’s Nuclear Programme with IAEA, Reports Xinhua | Reuters
China, Russia and Iran jointly met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss Iran's nuclear programme, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said on Friday. The joint meeting on Thursday between the IAEA representatives and the nuclear agency’s director general came after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited Beijing this week.
EUROPE & IRAN
Revolutionary Guards Shelter Swedish Gang Leader Linked to Europe Attacks | Iran International
The leader of a Swedish criminal network [Foxtrot] accused of assisting Tehran in attacks on Israeli-linked targets in Europe is currently living in Iran under the protection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sources told Iran International. Rawa Majid received funds from Iran’s embassy in Denmark to help coordinate attacks against Israeli diplomatic facilities in Copenhagen and Stockholm, according to a source familiar with the matter inside the IRGC. The source also said the gang leader travels between Iran and Afghanistan for operations overseen by the IRGC.
CANADA & IRAN
Twenty alleged senior members of the Iranian regime have now been found living in Canada, immigration officials confirmed amid an election debate on how best to deal with the Islamic republic. The most recent is an Iranian citizen scheduled to go before the Immigration and Refugee Board in June after the Canada Border Services Agency accused him of having served as a top official in Tehran. . . . According to Iranian media, he was an official in Iran’s oil ministry.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
Iranian Envoy Walks Back Criticism of Lebanese Bid to Disarm Hezbollah | Iran International
Iran’s Ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani visited Lebanon’s foreign ministry to walk back earlier comments which appeared to call the Mediterranean country's delicate efforts to disarm the Iran-back Hezbollah group a conspiracy. Amani had initially declined an earlier summons but attended Thursday’s meeting following a backlash over a post last week in which he warned of a conspiracy threatening regional stability—widely seen as a reference to efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
LATIN AMERICA & IRAN
Paraguay Joins U.S. in Designating Iran’s IRGC a Terror Group, Trump Cheers | Fox News
On Thursday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement congratulating Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña for officially labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization – a decision the U.S. calls a critical blow to Iran’s terror network in the Western Hemisphere. . . . In addition to the IRGC designation, Paraguay also expanded its 2019 designations of the armed wings of Hezbollah and Hamas to include the entirety of both organizations.