TOP STORIES
Witkoff in Apparent Reversal Says Iran Must Halt Nuclear Enrichment | Wall Street Journal
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff appeared to backtrack on comments that Iran could be allowed to enrich uranium at a low level in a new nuclear deal with the Trump administration, saying Tuesday that Tehran would have to abandon its enrichment program. “A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal,” Witkoff wrote in a post on X, adding that “Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”
Iran Says Ability to Enrich Uranium Is Not Up for Negotiation | Bloomberg
Iran said it won’t be drawn into negotiations over its ability to enrich uranium in nuclear talks with the US, a sign that the tentative diplomatic push to resolve their standoff over Tehran’s atomic work may have already hit a major snag. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that he’d heard contradictory positions from his US counterpart in the talks, Steve Witkoff, since their first meeting in Oman last Saturday which he’d initially described as positive and constructive. “Mr. Witkoff has made several different statements, but the real positions will become clear at the negotiating table. They won’t gain anything through pressure,” Araghchi said on Iranian state TV on Wednesday.
Iran Splits Trump Team over Nuclear Talks vs. Military Strike | Axios
President Trump has vowed to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon — but inside his national security team there's a divide over the best way to do it. One camp, unofficially led by Vice President Vance, believes a diplomatic solution is both preferable and possible and that the U.S. should be ready to make compromises in order to make it happen. Vance is highly involved in the Iran policy discussions, another U.S. official said. The other camp, which includes national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is highly suspicious of Iran and extremely skeptical of the chances of a deal that significantly rolls back Iran's nuclear program, U.S. officials say.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran Could Use Talks to Buy Time for Nuclear Ambitions, Ex-CIA Official Says | Iran International
[UANI Senior Adviser] Norman Roule, a veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency for over 30 years who once oversaw its Iran desk, said Tehran's veteran negotiators could drag out the talks to their advantage while enriching uranium toward levels needed to build a bomb. “Every day talks drag on, Iran moves closer to the threshold,” he said. “And if it calculates that it gains more from staying on the edge of weaponization than actually building a bomb, it will continue to play this game.” Tehran has proven adept, Roule said, at “negotiating the negotiation”, or what he described as using drawn-out diplomacy to defuse military threats and reduce sanctions while continuing nuclear development.
Witkoff Sends Mixed Messages on Iranian Nuclear Enrichment | Jewish Insider
The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is leading U.S. nuclear talks with Iran, again suggested on Monday that the U.S. is willing to allow Iran to maintain some level of nuclear enrichment, as it did during the original 2015 nuclear deal. Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told JI that allowing Iran to continue enriching uranium to 3.67% “would enable” Iran to “extort the United States,” and said that Trump should remain consistent on insisting on full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program. Brodsky said that allowing Iran to enrich to 3.67% was the “original sin” of the JCPOA “and that set the table for the situation that we’re in today.” “We need to learn the lessons of the past,” Brodsky said. “The JCPOA framework failed … It’s a flawed, fundamentally failed framework of dealing with the Iranian issue.” Brodsky praised one element of Witkoff’s original Fox comments: limits on Iran’s missile program. The lack of provisions relating to the missile program “was one of the flaws of the original JCPOA,” Brodsky said. “But also there are a lot of other questions regarding sanctions relief and mechanisms to prevent Iran from using sanctions relief … under any deal from funding its malign behavior in the region,” Brodsky continued.
UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Discusses the Iran Nuclear Negotiations | BBC Persian
Brodsky discussed what the U.S. negotiating position on Iran’s nuclear program should be, namely the complete dismantlement of that program.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Trump Holds Situation Room Meeting on Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiations | Axios
President Trump held a meeting on Tuesday morning in the White House situation room about the ongoing nuclear deal negotiations with Iran, two sources with direct knowledge told Axios. The high-level meeting with all of the Trump administration’s top national security and foreign policy officials present was focused on discussing the U.S. position in the next round of talks planned for Saturday, the sources said.
Int’l Atomic Energy Agency Head to Visit Tehran amid Flurry of Nuke Talks | Jerusalem Post
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi is due to visit Tehran on Wednesday in parallel with the flurry of nuclear diplomacy between Iran and the US.
Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2019, Rafael Grossi is visiting Iran on Wednesday, April 16. In an interview with Le Monde, he expressed his desire for his organization to be involved in the dialogue initiated in Oman between Iran and the United States on the Iranian nuclear issue. He believes that Iran is “not far” from having nuclear weapons.
Khamenei: Iran ‘Neither Optimistic Nor Pessimistic’ on US Nuclear Talks | The National
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has welcomed initial steps taken in Oman towards re-establishing a nuclear deal with the United States. In a statement, Mr Khamenei said the talks must be “pursued carefully,” adding that the red lines for both sides are clear, without elaborating. Although Mr Khamenei called the indirect negotiations “good,” he also said he is “neither optimistic or pessimistic.”
Confusion Surrounds US-Iran Nuclear Talks Venue as Tehran Points to Oman over Rome | Euronews
Iran insisted on Tuesday that the next round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington would take place in Oman, contradicting earlier reports that negotiations would take place in Rome. However, American officials have not confirmed the location of the talks yet.
The Kremlin on Tuesday declined to comment when asked if Russia was ready to take control of Iran’s stocks of enriched uranium as part of a possible future nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.
US and Iran to ‘Chart Path Forward’ in Second Round of Talks, American Official Says | The National
The next round of talks between Washington and Tehran set for later this week is expected to set out a framework for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme, a senior US official said on Wednesday. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran Victoria Taylor described the first round of talks between the two countries in Oman on Saturday as “positive” and “constructive,” during a panel at the Sulaimani Forum in Iraq. . . . “I think it's also important to note that maximum pressure is still in effect, even as we are pursuing negotiations with Iran over the nuclear programme,” Ms Taylor stated, adding that Mr Trump is set on preventing Iran access to revenue that allows it to “fund its nuclear programme and terrorism.” Ms Taylor emphasised that, in addition to Iran’s nuclear programme, the US maintains its concerns regarding Tehran’s support of its regional proxy militia groups. “The best way for Iran to get that economic relief and seek the removal of those sanctions is for it to stop the activities that caused us to put those sanctions into place,” she said, referring to Iranian backing of these groups.
Iranian Official Caught Pocketing Golden Pen During US Talks | Yedioth Ahronoth
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Kazem Gharibabadi was captured on video, pocketing a gold fountain pen during the negotiations with the United States in Oman last Saturday. All participants were provided with similar pens to use during the talks, as per protocol.
Witkoff Walks It Back on Iran | Wall Street Journal Editorial
If Iran won’t give up enrichment, it’s a signal that the mullahs don’t really want to abandon their nuclear ambitions. At the very least it’s a blunder for Mr. Witkoff to offer concessions to the Iranians when the two sides have barely begun talks. . . . Iran has a long history of lying about its nuclear plans and facilities that makes trust in its promises impossible. If Iran is really willing to abandon its nuclear program, it must be willing to give up uranium enrichment.
How to Solve the Iran Problem | Bret Stephens in the New York Times
There are two paths here. One is a reprise of some version of the sanctions-for-nukes deal that lay at the core of the 2015 agreement and that Iran says it wants today. But that deal is destined to fail because it does nothing to change the character of the regime. The second path is more ambitious but also, potentially, more promising. It’s what I previously called normalization for normalization. [H]ere is what normalization would require of the Iranian regime: It would have to start behaving like a normal country.
Trump’s Iran Nuclear Deal Looks a Lot Like Obama’s | Eli Lake in the Free Press
Why offer Iran an opportunity to keep its centrifuges and ballistic missiles? Far better to press the advantage now and make Iran a Godfather offer. The mullahs can dismantle their nuclear program now in exchange for concessions—or America and Israel can do it for them.
Iran Is Playing for Time in the US Nuclear Talks | Jonathan Spyer in the Spectator
Over the weekend, the US and Iran held opening talks in Oman on Teheran’s nuclear programme. With the first round concluded, the Iranian regime’s position on the negotiations is becoming clearer. The Islamic regime, which prides itself on its strategic patience, intends to buy time, while avoiding any major and irreversible concessions. Whether Donald Trump’s administration will prove willing to accommodate Iran’s demands is another matter entirely.
Trump’s Foolish Iran Diplomacy | Amb. John R. Bolton in the Washington Examiner
Saturday’s U.S.-Iran proximity negotiations highlighted the choice between two very divergent futures for Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. One path would have Washington re-enter witless negotiations with the ayatollahs, with no evidence they have made a strategic decision to abandon their decadeslong quest for weapons of mass destruction. The alternative is military action against Tehran’s nuclear facilities or the regime itself to eliminate any chance of Iran becoming a nuclear weapons power. By agreeing to further negotiations next week, President Donald Trump’s delegation took at least one step down the first path. This will prove to be a serious, perhaps deadly, mistake.
Haley Casts Doubt on Iran amid US Nuclear Talks: ‘We Can’t Trust Them’ | The Hill
Haley, in a post on the social platform X, said the U.S. should not enter any deal that allows Iran to keep its nuclear program. “Iran has violated every agreement they have ever been a part of,” the former 2024 presidential candidate said. “We can’t trust them to have any amount of nuclear production.” “Iran should not have a nuclear program, period,” she added.
Time for Trump to Show His Tough Rhetoric on Tehran Carries Results | Jerusalem Post Editorial
Past negotiations have only bought Iran time to advance its nuclear program. The Oman talks cannot become another endless cycle of dialogue without results, especially given Israel’s desire to deal with the Iranian issue once and for all. Trump should set clear redlines: No uranium enrichment beyond an agreed amount, no ballistic missile development, and an end to proxy warfare. If Iran refuses, the Americans must be prepared to escalate with crippling sanctions and, if necessary, military strikes on nuclear facilities. Israel has already stated that it is ready, if necessary, for the latter option.
The White House has called the first round of talks between US and Iranian officials in Oman “very positive and constructive.” That is good news—if, and only if, the goal of those discussions is to end, and not merely postpone, Iran’s nuclear ambitions. To be truly constructive, the negotiations must aim at preventing Iran from ever again fomenting war in the Middle East and exporting terror globally.
Iran’s Negotiating Position Gets Worse and Worse | Arash Azizi in the Atlantic
In the first few weeks of Donald Trump’s second term, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, repeatedly rejected the U.S. president’s offer of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, just as he had during Trump’s first term. Khamenei’s objections collapsed on Saturday evening when Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, chatted with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff, in the residence of Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, in Muscat. The direct discussion, long demanded by Trump but rejected by Iranian officials, showed just how well the initial talks via Albusaidi had gone. But it also underscored how weak, even humiliating, a position Khamenei finds himself in.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Tells Singapore Banks, Shippers to Expect More Iran Pressure | Bloomberg
Singapore’s financial and maritime sectors should expect the Trump administration to ramp up pressure on Iran’s oil industry and on Chinese buyers of the country’s crude, US Treasury officials told bankers and shipping executives during a visit to the city-state late last week.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
A second U.S. aircraft carrier is operating in Mideast waters ahead of the next round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, satellite photos analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press showed. The operation of the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group in the Arabian Sea comes as suspected U.S. airstrikes pounded parts of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overnight into Tuesday. . . . Iran’s Javan newspaper, which is believed to be close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, suggested in an editorial Tuesday that Tehran would be open to reducing its enrichment. “Something that we have done before, why should we not carry it again and reach a deal?” the editorial asked. “This is not called a withdrawal by Islamic Republic from its ideals anywhere in the world.”
Israel Can Strike Iran Alone, Says Hero of 1981 Iraqi Reactor Raid | Yedioth Ahronoth
“Nothing is off the table” when it comes to Iran, according to Brigadier General Relik Shafir, who led the daring Israeli Air Force strike on the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Operation Opera in 1981. Speaking to ILTV, Shafir said that Israel could strike Iran alone if necessary—including hitting Iranian nuclear sites, which are spread across 33 locations in the country. However, he noted that without American bunker busters, the damage would be more limited. “Israel can hurt Iran, but it cannot destroy the nuclear program,” Shafir explained.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran's President Accepts Resignation of 2015 Nuclear Deal Figure | Associated Press
Iran ‘s president formally approved the resignation of one of his vice presidents who served as Tehran’s key negotiator in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, just as the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog was due to arrive in the Islamic Republic on Wednesday. President Masoud Pezeshkian’s announcement late Tuesday regarding Mohammad Javad Zarif comes as Iran prepares for a second round of negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Iran Hardliners Push Back on FATF Accession Citing Sanctions Risk | Iran International
Over 150 hardline Iranian lawmakers urged a key decision-making body on Tuesday to block Iran’s accession to the Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Palermo conventions, two key components of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reform package. In a letter published Tuesday addressed to the chair of the Expediency Council Sadeq Amoli Larijani, they warned against endorsing the bills “until the threat of the snapback mechanism is fully lifted.” Snapback refers to the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal framework. The UN snapback mechanism is expected to expire in October 2025—unless a party triggers it beforehand.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, & IRAN
Russia’s Upper House of Parliament Ratifies Partnership Treaty with Iran | Al Arabiya
Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, ratified a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Wednesday, the TASS state news agency reported. President Vladimir Putin signed the 20-year strategic partnership pact with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in January. The upper house ratification means the treaty is now in effect.
EUROPE & IRAN
Rubio, Witkoff Heading to France for Talks on Ukraine, Iran and Trade | Politico
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy tasked with ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, are expected to travel to Paris later this week, according to two people familiar with preparations for the trip. Witkoff is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron while Rubio will speak with his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. An official familiar with preparations for the trip said the two sides will discuss Ukraine, Iran and trade relations in the wake of Trump’s tariff threats.
How Iran Is Weaponizing Europe’s Criminal Underworld | New Lines
Tehran is turning violent networks like Sweden’s Foxtrot and Ireland’s Kinahan cartel into tools of covert statecraft.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
Iran Wants to Drag Out Talks, Trump Wants a Deal Now. Neither is Good for Israel | Times of Israel
The vibes coming out of the first round of nuclear talks between Iran and the US are surprisingly positive — at least for the sides that engaged in them, if not for other interested parties. US lead negotiator Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke in person shortly after Saturday’s talks wrapped up. The talks are still quite preliminary. But the reactions indicate that both sides want an agreement, a development that would present significant challenges for Israel.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Trump Spoke to Sultan of Oman About Iran Talks, White House Says | Reuters
US President Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday with the sultan of Oman about the next round of Iran talks scheduled for Saturday in Oman, the White House said.
ARMENIA & IRAN
Iran and Armenia Simulate Border Threats in Joint Military Drills | Euronews
Iran and Armenia conducted two days of joint military drills, involving high-level military personnel, which the two said involved simulated terrorist threats targeting border checkpoints. The exercises were conducted last week on Iranian and Armenian territory along their 44-kilometre shared border, involving both light and heavy weaponry, as well as sniper scenarios. For the drills, Tehran had sent in Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) elite forces, based in Tabriz, overseen by General Valiollah Madani, Deputy Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces.