Iran: Nuclear Deal Can be Reached if US is Pragmatic

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks during a news conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Beirut, Lebanon March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks during a news conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Beirut, Lebanon March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Iran: Nuclear Deal Can be Reached if US is Pragmatic

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks during a news conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Beirut, Lebanon March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks during a news conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Beirut, Lebanon March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The revival of a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers can happen in the short term if the United States shows pragmatism in Vienna negotiations, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Thursday.

"If the United States is pragmatic, a nuclear deal can be reached in the short term," he said during a news conference in Beirut, adding that the vital issue of sanctions relief for Iran was not yet fully resolved.

"Instead of wasting time by playing with words and time, the United States should take the right path and act pragmatically. We are ready for a good, strong and stable agreement, but not at the price of our red lines," Reuters quoted him as saying.

The talks were close to an agreement until Russia made last-minute demands of the United States, insisting that sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine would not hurt its trade with Iran.

On Wednesday, Amirabdollahian said during a trip to Damascus that Iran and world powers are closer to an agreement in Vienna than ever before.

But US officials have been more cautious in their assessment of efforts to revive the accord, which would curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting tough sanctions on Iran's economy.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday the United States and its allies have made progress in Iran nuclear talks but issues remain, and it is unclear if they will be resolved.



Multiple Quakes Leave Casualties in Guatemala, Cause Landslides

Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
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Multiple Quakes Leave Casualties in Guatemala, Cause Landslides

Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A series of dozens of earthquakes were recorded in the span of hours in Guatemala, leaving two dead when rocks fell on their vehicle, authorities said. Landslides left several others buried.

More than 37 earthquakes and aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 3.0 to 5.6 were reported in Guatemala Tuesday afternoon, said Edwin Rodas, director of the National Institute for Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology.

The tremors resulted in the evacuation of buildings, landslides, and minor property damage, officials said, adding they were felt as far away as El Salvador.
The two men killed were traveling in a pickup truck on a local road in the department of Escuintla when the rocks fell from a hillside onto the vehicle, firefighters said, according to The Associated Press.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said at a press conference Tuesday that the main epicenter of the quakes was in the department of Sacatepéquez, with aftershocks in the regions of Escuintla and Guatemala department.

At least five people were buried by landslides, but emergency responders were able to rescue two, he added.

The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction declared an orange alert, the second-highest on the emergency scale.

The US Geological Survey reported a 4.8 magnitude earthquake at 3:11 p.m. local time, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) southwest of the town of Amatitlán, south of Guatemala City, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). It then reported another 5.7 magnitude quake 3 kilometers (2 miles) northwest of San Vicente Pacaya, a municipality in Escuintla, in the south-central region of the country.

Another 4.8 magnitude quake was reported 6 kilometers (4 miles) northwest of Palín, also in Escuintla.