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Iran Threatens to Relocate Nuclear Material, Blame US for Potential Israeli Strike Ahead of Rome Talks
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran on Thursday warned it would hold the United States responsible for any Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities, following reports that Israel could strike Iranian nuclear sites if ongoing negotiations between Washington and the Islamic regime fail.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the United Nations threatening to relocate Iran’s nuclear material to undisclosed sites to safeguard it from a possible Israeli military strike.
“Iran strongly warns against any adventurism by the Israeli Zionist regime and will respond decisively to any threats or unlawful actions by this regime,” the letter read.
“We also believe that if any attack is carried out against the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Israeli regime, the US government will be complicit and bear legal responsibility,” the top Iranian diplomat wrote.
In a letter to the UN SG & UNSC, Iran’s Foreign Minister warned of catastrophic consequences after alarming reports emerged quoting U.S. sources that the Zionist regime of Israel is preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and sites. He urged an urgent, decisive response & a… pic.twitter.com/SEo1BEJwgw
— I.R.IRAN Mission to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) May 22, 2025
If Tehran moves its nuclear material to undisclosed locations, it could derail ongoing negotiations by denying the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — which has sought to maintain access to monitor the country’s nuclear program — the ability to conduct crucial inspections.
Araghchi’s latest remarks came amid escalating tensions ahead of this week’s renewed negotiations between the US and Iran in Europe.
This week, CNN and Axios reported that Israel is preparing for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if talks between Washington and Tehran collapse in the coming weeks.
In a statement on X, Araghchi warned that if the international community fails to take “preventive measures” against Israel, Iran would be compelled to take “special measures in defense of [the country’s] nuclear facilities and materials.”
Threats from the rogue Israeli regime are nothing new. But the recent leak citing US officials as divulging Israeli plans for an unlawful attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities is alarming and warrants immediate and serious condemnation from the UN Security Council and the…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 22, 2025
After concluding their fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman last weekend, Araghchi and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff are set to hold a fifth round of negotiations in Rome on Friday, with Oman’s foreign minister serving as mediator.
So far, diplomatic efforts have stalled over Iran’s demand to maintain its domestic uranium enrichment program — a condition the White House has firmly rejected.
“We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1 percent of an enrichment capability,” Witkoff said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected US demands to halt uranium enrichment as “excessive and outrageous,” warning that the talks are unlikely to yield results.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Tehran has no viable “Plan B” should the current nuclear negotiations fail, according to a senior Iranian official.
While the Iranian diplomat said the country’s strategy would include strengthening ties with allies like Russia and China, neither Beijing nor Moscow can be counted on as fully reliable partners, given Beijing’s trade war with Washington and Russia’s focus on the war in Ukraine.
Ahead of Friday’s talks in Rome, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to uphold any agreement that prevents Iran from enriching uranium and obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“But in any case, Israel maintains the right to defend itself from a regime that is threatening to annihilate it,” Netanyahu said in a press conference.
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, described negotiations with the White House as “difficult,” accusing Washington of not adhering to any “conventional diplomatic norms” and contradictory actions.
“Imposing sanctions while claiming to pursue a diplomatic path with the Islamic Republic of Iran is itself evidence of their lack of seriousness and goodwill,” the Iranian diplomat said in a statement.
“This reality proves that American policymakers maintain a hostile attitude toward the Iranian people, and their claims of commitment to dialogue and diplomacy should not be taken seriously,” Baghaei continued.
As part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran — which aims to cut the country’s crude exports to zero and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon — Washington has been targeting Tehran’s oil industry with mounting sanctions.
In April, Tehran and Washington held their first official nuclear negotiation since the US withdrew from a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that had imposed temporary limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief.
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Trump Says Israel Will Have to Decide on Next Steps in Gaza, Pledges More Aid
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. Photo: Kevin Lamarque via Reuters Connect.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel would have to make a decision on next steps in Gaza, adding that he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with the Hamas terrorist group.
Trump underscored the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying they had suddenly “hardened” up on the issue, and said the US would provide more aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland.
“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision,” he said, while also claiming, without evidence, that Hamas members were stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear that the Palestinian group did not want a deal.
Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling “alternative” options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave.
Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be “hunted down,” telling reporters: “Hamas really didn’t want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it’s very bad. And it got to be to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job.”
US TO PROVIDE MORE AID, TRUMP SAYS
Trump on Sunday said the US would provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where concerns are mounting about the worsening hunger, but wanted other countries to participate as well. He said he would discuss the issue with von der Leyen.
“We’re giving a lot of money, a lot of food, a lot of everything,” he said. “If we weren’t there, I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well.”
He said he had spoken with Netanyahu and discussed a number of issues, including Iran. He said and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would also discuss Israel when they meet at Trump’s golf property in Turnberry on Monday.
Trump also noted said the United States was not acknowledged for earlier food aid for Gaza.
“No other country gave anything,” he said, calling out European countries in particular. “It makes you feel a little bad when you do that and, you know, you have other countries not giving anything… Nobody gave but us. And nobody said, Gee, thank you very much. And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.”
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Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin
Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israel on Sunday announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight.
US President Donald Trump, on a visit to Scotland, said Israel would have to make a decision on its next steps in Gaza, and he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas.
Military activity will stop from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north.
The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. starting from Sunday.
U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the fighting.
“Our teams on the ground … will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window,” he said on X.
In their first airdrop in months, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday, a Jordanian official said, adding that those were not a substitute for delivery by land.
Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes.
Work on a UAE project to run a new pipeline that will supply water from a desalination facility in neighboring Egypt to around 600,000 Gazans along the coast would also begin in a few days, the Israeli military said.
On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital, health workers said.
“Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead,” said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, as the baby’s father held their daughter’s body wrapped in a white shroud.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. Some had been looted in the area of Khan Younis after entering Gaza, residents said.
A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week said Israel’s denial of aid was unacceptable.
The military’s spokesperson said Israel was committed to international law and monitors the humanitarian situation daily. Brigadier General Effie Defrin said there was no starvation in Gaza, but appeared to acknowledge conditions were critical.
“When we start approaching a problematic line (threshold) then the IDF works to let in humanitarian aid,” he said. “That’s what happened over the weekend.”
Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds and reopened it with new restrictions in May.
It says it has been allowing in aid but must prevent it from being diverted by terrorists and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza’s people.
HOPE, UNCERTAINTY
Many Gazans expressed some relief at Sunday’s announcement, but said fighting must end.
“People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. “We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whether it is fighting or negotiating a ceasefire and vowed to press on with the campaign until “complete victory.”
Hamas said Israel was continuing its military offensive.
“What is happening isn’t a humanitarian truce,” said Hamas official Ali Baraka.
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‘Israel Is Doing More for Gaza’s Civilians than Hamas,’ Says IDF Spokesperson
IDF Spokesperson Effie Deffrin. Photo: IDF
i24 News – In a press briefing held Sunday morning, IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin addressed the latest developments in the Gaza conflict, including the implementation of a tactical humanitarian pause and the delivery of aid into the enclave.
Defrin sharply criticized Hamas, accusing the organization of spreading false claims about widespread famine in Gaza while actively obstructing humanitarian efforts.
“Israel initiated the creation of food distribution centers to prevent famine,” he said. “We are securing four aid centers, facilitating convoys, and permitting international airdrops. These humanitarian pauses are designed to allow civilians access to essential supplies.”
He went on to condemn Hamas for its handling of humanitarian aid. “While Hamas steals aid meant for civilians and hides it in tunnels, it runs a deceitful campaign claiming there’s famine in Gaza. Let’s be clear: there is no famine, and Israel is operating fully within international law.”
Defrin argued that Israel is showing greater concern for the welfare of Gaza’s residents than Hamas itself. “Hamas is deliberately worsening the situation and disrupting the delivery of aid. They’re not just fighting us, they’re fighting their own people.”
In closing, he stated: “Hamas is no longer a point of reference for many in Gaza. The IDF has established aid centers, and civilians are turning to them daily. No country confronted with such a brutal terrorist organization has done more to support the civilian population in enemy territory.”
The remarks come amid intensified international scrutiny of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with Israel seeking to reinforce its narrative of compliance with international law and contrast its actions with those of Hamas.
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