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Iran FM Says Negotiations Hinge on 'Lifting Sanctions'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
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Iran FM Says Negotiations Hinge on 'Lifting Sanctions'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the United States sanctions an economic war, and said there could be no talks with it until sanctions are lifted, following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s remarks that Washington was prepared to engage with Tehran without preconditions.

Zarif accused the US of practicing economic terrorism against Tehran.

Further, head of the Iranian judiciary Ebrahim Raisi – a key rival of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani - considered negotiations a US need and urged Iranian officials to abide by the goals set by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei regarding internal policies.

The US-China trade war, which has been one of the most important international challenges in recent months, has aspects and consequences that can go beyond the bilateral relations of the two sides, said the Iranian foreign ministry, adding that the war has targeted the development and welfare of the people of the world.

The United States is dealing with China with an acquisitive attitude and is trying to impose political considerations on economic realities, added the ministry.

“We believe that the US efforts to maintain its previous position by imposing unconventional costs on others are doomed to failure, and are not consistent with the international pyramid of power amid the current rapid developments,” it revealed.

In a related matter, ISNA news agency welcomed Monday the latest report of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) revealing that Iran’s stocks of nuclear materials are still within limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal.

As of 20 May, Iran had 174.1 kg of enriched uranium, up from 163.8kg in February.

Earlier this month, Iran announced that it will no more comply with the nuclear deal restrictions to protest economic sanctions imposed on Tehran after the US withdrawal from the agreement.

ISNA – close to the Iranian government – reported Monday that Tehran’s decision to stop implementing some of the commitments was among the reasons that pushed Pompeo to call for negotiations without preconditions. 

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World

Iran, US Race to Find Crew Member of Crashed American Fighter Jet

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran, US Race to Find Crew Member of Crashed American Fighter Jet

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member from the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.

Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane and US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other was still missing.

Iran's military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot of that plane was rescued, reported AFP.

The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.

US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the loss of the F-15, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The president has been briefed."

President Donald Trump told NBC the F-15 loss would not affect negotiations with Iran, saying: "No, not at all. No, it's war."

On Saturday, there were fresh strikes on Israel, Lebanon and Iran, as well as on Gulf states.

An AFP journalist saw a thick haze of grey smoke covering Tehran's skyline after hearing several blasts over the capital. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted.

- 'Valuable reward' -

A spokesperson for the Iranian military's central operational command earlier said "an American hostile fighter jet in central Iranian airspace was struck and destroyed by the IRGC Aerospace Force's advanced air defense system".

"The jet was completely obliterated, and further searches are ongoing."

An Iranian television reporter on a local official channel said anyone who captured a crew member alive would "receive a valuable reward".

Retired US brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who has 400 hours of combat flight experience, said a pilot's training would likely kick in before he or she parachutes to the ground.

"My priority would be, first of all, concealment, because I don't want to be captured," he told AFP.

Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, mocked the Trump administration.

He wrote on X: "After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from 'regime change' to 'Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?'

"Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses."

World

Explosion Hits Pro-Israel Center in the Netherlands

Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Explosion Hits Pro-Israel Center in the Netherlands

Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)

A blast hit a pro-Israeli center in the Netherlands, police said Saturday, adding it caused minimal damage and no injuries.

A police spokeswoman told AFP no one was inside the site run by Christians for Israel, a non-profit, in the central city of Nijkerk when the explosion went off outside its gate late on Friday.

An investigation was ongoing.

The incident comes after a string of similar night-time attacks on Jewish sites in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium in recent weeks that has heightened concerns in the wake of the war in the Middle East.

World

Iran Says Strike Hit Close to Its Bushehr Nuclear Facility, Killing a Guard and Damaging a Building

Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
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Iran Says Strike Hit Close to Its Bushehr Nuclear Facility, Killing a Guard and Damaging a Building

Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)

Iran’s atomic agency says an airstrike has hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war.

The agency announced Saturday’s attack on social media.

The US AP’s military pressed ahead Saturday in a frantic search for a missing pilot after Iran shot down an American warplane, as Iran called on people to turn the pilot in, promising a reward.

The plane, identified by Iran as a US F-15E Strike Eagle, was one of two attacked on Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing. It was the first time the United States lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the war, now in its sixth week, and could mark a new turning point in the campaign.

The conflict, launched by the US and Israel on Feb. 28, has rippled across the region. It has so far killed thousands, upended global markets, cut off key shipping routes, spiked fuel prices and shows no signs of slowing as Iran responds to US and Israeli airstrikes with attacks across the region.