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Iran to Unveil Nuclear Counteroffer to US as IAEA Warns It ‘Can’t Ignore’ Tehran’s Uranium Enrichment
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iran said on Monday that it would soon submit a new proposal for a nuclear deal with the United States via Oman, as the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog raised concerns over Tehran’s ongoing violations of and lack of compliance with international nuclear standards.
Speaking at a press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced that the Islamist regime will soon present its own nuclear proposal after rejecting a previous offer from Washington.
“We strongly recommend the American side not to waste this opportunity — it’s in their own interest to take it seriously,” the Iranian diplomat said.
With a sixth round of nuclear talks still uncertain, Baghaei stressed that uranium enrichment remains a “strategic necessity” for Iran’s nuclear industry and is crucial to the country’s national interests.
Commenting on the White House’s demand that Tehran reduce uranium enrichment down to zero, he said Iran’s stance serves as a deterrent “against excessive foreign demands” and “pressures that go beyond legal and international norms.”
“It cannot be said in any way that every country that engages in enrichment necessarily has a weapons program,” the Iranian diplomat said. “Currently, many countries, including some US allies, are engaged in enrichment but do not have any military or weapons programs.”
Last week, Iranian officials condemned Washington’s latest nuclear proposal as “unprofessional and untechnical,” criticizing it for its alleged failure to address sanctions relief — a key demand for Tehran under any deal with the US.
“Iran will never relinquish its natural rights,” Ali Shamkhnai, political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an interview on Wednesday.
Washington’s draft proposal for a new nuclear deal was delivered by Omani officials — who have been mediating negotiations between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff — during last month’s talks in Rome.
After five rounds of talks, diplomatic efforts have yet to yield results as both adversaries clash over Iran’s demand to maintain its domestic uranium enrichment program — a condition that US President Donald Trump has publicly rejected.
Meanwhile, in its latest report on Iranian nuclear violations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, warned that the country’s continued accumulation of highly enriched uranium nearing weapons-grade levels poses a serious concern that cannot be ignored.
“Uranium enrichment per se is not a forbidden activity, which is something my Iranian counterparts always tell me,” IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said at a press conference following the agency’s Board of Governors opening meeting in Vienna on Monday.
“At the same time, when you accumulate and continue to accumulate, and you are the only country in the world doing this at a level very, very close to what is needed for a nuclear explosive device, then we cannot ignore it,” Grossi continued.
“There is no medical or civilian use for it. That is why it is important for us.”
The IAEA’s latest report reveals that, alongside numerous other violations, Iran has previously conducted multiple implosion tests — a crucial military capability for developing an atomic bomb.
At Monday’s press conference, Grossi also discussed a draft resolution from Western powers condemning Iran’s nuclear non-compliance.
He stressed that the resolution — put forward by the US, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom — represents the agency’s technical oversight responsibilities, not a political move to pressure Tehran.
However, Iran has strongly rejected the measure, accusing the agency of political bias and of advancing American interests.
Grossi also referenced the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which temporarily limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, explaining that even if the agreement were reinstated, it would no longer be sufficient to address the expanded scope and complexity of the country’s current nuclear activities.
“The JCPOA was designed to be applied to a very specific type of Iran program, which is completely different now,” he said. “Even if you wanted to revive it, it would not be enough because now they have new technologies.”
“We cannot wait for negotiations. We are an independent technical body. But if diplomacy succeeds, it will help reinforce cooperation,” Grossi continued.
The post Iran to Unveil Nuclear Counteroffer to US as IAEA Warns It ‘Can’t Ignore’ Tehran’s Uranium Enrichment first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netanyahu Criticizes Nation-Wide Strike That ‘Strengthens Hamas’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday harshly criticized nationwide demonstrations calling for the release of hostages and an end to the Gaza war.
Speaking at a government meeting, Netanyahu argued that such protests only strengthen Hamas and risk repeating the atrocities of October 7.
“Those who call today for an end to Hamas’s war not only harden the terrorist group’s position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated and that we will have to fight an endless war,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister defended Israel’s ongoing military operations, citing strikes carried out in recent days: “In the last 24 hours, the navy attacked power stations in Yemen, IDF soldiers struck Zeitoun and eliminated dozens of terrorists in Gaza, and the air force targeted Hezbollah commanders and launch sites in Lebanon.”
He added that Israel’s response in Lebanon was consistent with the ceasefire agreement: “According to this agreement, we will meet with fire any violation and any attempt to arm Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict, stressing the need for continued security control in Gaza and the group’s long-term demilitarization. He rejected Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal: “They want us to leave Gaza entirely — from the north, the south, the Philadelphi corridor, and the security perimeter. That would only allow them to reorganize, rearm, and attack us again.”
The war has now entered its 681st day, with 49 hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a general strike organized by the Hostage Families Forum, calling for the return of all captives in a single deal and for an end to the war. Demonstrations spread across the country, at major intersections, government ministers’ homes, and familiar protest hubs such as Kaplan Junction and the Ayalon highways.
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Family Releases Footage of Matan Zangauker in Captivity
A screenshot of a video released by the family of hostage Matan Zangauker.
i24 News – The family of Matan Zangauker, the Israeli hostage held by Hamas since October 7, shared new footage of him from captivity on Sunday evening.
The video, obtained by the IDF, was recorded several months ago.
In the recording, 32-year-old Matan looks directly into the camera, addressing his loved ones: “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. God willing, we’ll see each other soon. All my friends and acquaintances, go out and make noise like only you know how.”
Matan was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his partner Ilana Gritsievsky, who was released in a hostage deal last year. Since then, Matan has remained in Hamas custody while his family continues to fight for his return.
On the national protest day calling for the release of hostages, Ilana staged a poignant display at Hostages Square. Dressed in a wedding gown beneath a chuppah, she symbolically “married” Matan in his absence. “Matan, my curly-haired one, if you hadn’t been abducted, we could already be married. In a single day, our world was destroyed, and you’re not here to hold me. I’m fighting for you until you come back,” she said.
Matan’s mother, Einav, has emerged as a leading voice in the campaign for the hostages’ release and has sharply criticized Israel’s political leadership, accusing them of undermining potential hostage deals.
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Hamas Rejects Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp as the Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, in Gaza City August 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel’s plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a “new wave of genocide and displacement” for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.
The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a “blatant deception.”
The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety.”
Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to “cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute.”
Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people.