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Talks between Saudi Arabia, Iran Enter ‘Serious’ Phase

An advertisement promotes local products in Tehran. (AFP)
An advertisement promotes local products in Tehran. (AFP)
    Tehran, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Talks between Saudi Arabia, Iran Enter ‘Serious’ Phase

An advertisement promotes local products in Tehran. (AFP)
An advertisement promotes local products in Tehran. (AFP)

Talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran are now on a “more serious path,” including discussions on resolving Yemen’s conflict.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh confirmed in a weekly press conference that the negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are still going well in Iraq.

“Baghdad has been a good host to date, and there is no need to change the location of the talks as long as possible. The two countries are discussing more serious issues.”

Iran’s Fars news agency quoted Khatibzadeh as saying: “The talks with Saudi Arabia can achieve security and stability in the region.”

“Iran has always pursued its policy and believes that talks between regional actors and Iran and Saudi Arabia can be one of the pillars of peace and stability in the Gulf region,” he added.

He added that the issue of “Yemen has been part of the talks between the two sides.”

The official said that efforts were being made to improve peace and stability in the Persian Gulf through better relations between Tehran and Riyadh.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had revealed earlier this month that the Kingdom and Iran have held four rounds of “exploratory talks,” the last of which were held on September 21.

On the nuclear file, Khatibzadeh confirmed his government would return to the Vienna negotiations but will not negotiate a new text or nuclear agreement.

“We confirmed that the negotiations will take place in Vienna, and that the Iranian delegation will not negotiate a new text, and that the dialogue will be within the framework of the nuclear agreement.”

Turning to Iraq, Khatibzadeh congratulated its government, people and elected lawmakers on successfully holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, hoping that through unity and solidarity among all MPs, a new government would be formed.

He said Iran, as always, supports Iraq and is ready for cooperation with Baghdad, adding that the country is on the right path towards peace.

Azerbaijan tensions
The spokesman also addressed the relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, saying the two countries have always pursued a logical procedure in their relations.

He noted the region is going through a very sensitive stage, and it is important to understand regional conditions and the situation in the Caspian Sea region.

“Iran has voiced its concerns to the Azeri side, and they have also said they will address them. We told the Azerbaijani side that some of Iran’s concerns should be resolved.”

Moreover, he stressed that the alleged Israeli presence in Azerbaijan created tensions between Baku and Tehran.

“We have never closed our airspace to Azerbaijan. The land route is also open between the two countries, and the two sides should not allow third-parties to affect relations,” Khatibzadeh underlined.

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) had said it had started using the airspace of neighboring Armenia on Wednesday after media reports claimed that Iran closed off its airspace to military flights.

Relations between Tehran and Baku have deteriorated recently, against the backdrop of maneuvers carried out by the Iranian army near the border with Azerbaijan and Baku’s decision to impose customs duties on Iranian trucks heading to Europe through its territory.

AFP had reported that Azeri authorities closed a mosque linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said the reason for the closure, which also affected other indoor spaces, was a surge in coronavirus infections.

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World

Danish Intelligence Warns of Russian Plans to Sabotage Defense Industry

A police officer in Denmark (Danish Interior Ministry via Facebook) 
A police officer in Denmark (Danish Interior Ministry via Facebook) 
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Danish Intelligence Warns of Russian Plans to Sabotage Defense Industry

A police officer in Denmark (Danish Interior Ministry via Facebook) 
A police officer in Denmark (Danish Interior Ministry via Facebook) 

Danish authorities have uncovered plans and preparations for Russian sabotage in Denmark, the newspaper Berlingske reported on Wednesday.

Companies in the defense industry linked to military aid for Ukraine are among the main targets, Emil Græsholm, head of counter-intelligence at the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET), told the newspaper.

“The main objective is to stop specific deliveries for Ukraine's defense,” Græsholm was quoted as saying. “At the same time, the aim is to frighten us so that we no longer support the Ukrainians and do not expand our own defense capabilities.”

The intelligence service usually keeps a low profile, but Græsholm said the threat was sufficiently concrete to warrant a public warning.

“The selection of targets and the preparations are so specific that we believe it is necessary to go public with the message that this is a threat that must be taken seriously,” he told Berlingske.

Græsholm cited arson as one possible aim of the Russian plans and urged companies in the defense industry to tighten security measures.

Russia is also trying to recruit “ordinary Danes” for its plans, often without them knowing they are working for Moscow, according to Græsholm.

“It could involve taking photos or videos of companies or facilities that can then be used for sabotage plans,” he said. He urged people in Denmark to be suspicious if they were approached with such requests.

PET expects the threat to continue to grow “in scale and complexity,” the report said.

“It is directed against Ukrainian defense manufacturers in Denmark,” Græsholm said. “But we can see that the Russians are generally interested in the defense industry in Denmark.”

World

Spain Report Flags Moroccan Police Failings in Ceuta Migrant Rush

Demonstrators take part in a rally against the presence of migrants and the situation after the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants last month in Ceuta, Spain. (AFP) 
Demonstrators take part in a rally against the presence of migrants and the situation after the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants last month in Ceuta, Spain. (AFP) 
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Spain Report Flags Moroccan Police Failings in Ceuta Migrant Rush

Demonstrators take part in a rally against the presence of migrants and the situation after the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants last month in Ceuta, Spain. (AFP) 
Demonstrators take part in a rally against the presence of migrants and the situation after the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants last month in Ceuta, Spain. (AFP) 

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has asked the country’s National Police to verify a report that allegedly links Moroccan security forces to the unprecedented movement of migrants toward Ceuta at the end of July, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ruled out any involvement by Morocco in the crisis. Instead, he blamed Russia, Israel and what he called an “ultra-right international,” accusing them of spreading false information about the influx of migrants.

But El Español newspaper said a document allegedly submitted by the National Center for Immigration and Borders (CENIF) to Spain’s National Court attributed a role to Moroccan security personnel in the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta on July 30 and 31.

Sources at the ministry said Marlaska has asked National Police Director General Francisco Pardo to determine whether the report exists, whether its contents are accurate, and when the security services became aware of the information.

Marlaska said information related to an event classified as a matter of national security should reach the country’s senior security authorities without delay.

Over 70,000 migrants irregularly crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish territory between July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union's only two land borders with Africa, prompting alarm across the bloc. At least 100 people died in the attempt, according to Ceuta's local authorities.

In an interview with Cadena SER radio, Sanchez said, “When people talk and speculate about the participation of Moroccan authorities, I deny this outright.”

Protests over security in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta escalated into clashes between locals and police last week, a month after a mass influx of migrants from Morocco.

Police charged protesters at a beach after a group of demonstrators moved into the area where migrants have been sleeping, with some belongings set on fire during the disturbances, images broadcast on Spanish public television showed.

Earlier, dozens of protesters staged a sit-in to temporarily prevent Red Cross vehicles from reaching the beach to distribute food to hundreds of migrants staying in the area.

World

IAEA: Status of Iran’s Nuclear Program Is Unclear

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi (AP) 
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi (AP) 
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IAEA: Status of Iran’s Nuclear Program Is Unclear

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi (AP) 
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi (AP) 

The status of a key part of Iran's nuclear program remains unknown while international inspectors have yet to gain access to nuclear facilities, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Tuesday, as the country’s six-month conflict with the United States shows no signs of resolution.

IAEA monitors cannot verify the location or status of Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb grade uranium, according to the 11-page restricted report that was sent to member states and cited by Bloomberg and Reuters.

“The agency’s lack of information about this nuclear material and access to facilities to verify it is a matter of proliferation concern,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi wrote in the report.

He added that Iran needs to allow inspectors back in “with the utmost urgency.”

The IAEA report on Iran followed Grossi's visit to Washington. It also came as the US launched a new wave of strikes against targets in Iran, increasing tensions as both countries compete for control of the Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Grossi repeated his demands for Iran to allow inspectors to resume their work and called for a negotiated resolution to the US-Iran conflict.

Stockpiles Cannot Be Verified

The report on Iran showed there had again been no progress. Inspectors have yet to return to nuclear sites the United States and Israel bombed in June 2025.

Until those attacks, the IAEA estimates Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% of weapons-grade uranium. That is enough material, if enriched further, for 10 nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick, and Iran also had material enriched to lower levels.

Before the June 2025 strikes, the IAEA reported that Iran held approximately 8,599.6 kilograms of low-enriched uranium alongside over 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, according to Bloomberg.

How much of that remains is unclear.

“It is more than a year since the Agency lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the previously declared inventories of LEU (low-enriched uranium) and HEU (highly enriched ⁠uranium) enriched up to 60% U-235 at the declared nuclear facilities affected by the attacks of June 2025,” the report said.

“The Agency's lack of information about this nuclear material and access to facilities to verify it is a matter of proliferation concern ... and needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency,” it added.

IAEA inspections of Iran dropped by more than half last year after the country imposed new restrictions following a 12-day conflict in which Israel and the US attacked its nuclear sites.

Inspectors will be allowed to visit Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in mid-September, the IAEA reported.

A War that Disrupted the Nuclear Path

Uncertainty around Iran’s nuclear program has exasperated with the war that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

Since then, Washington and Tehran witnessed several months of fighting and attempts to negotiate, before reaching a tentative understanding in June. The accord was supposed to allow the agency access to Iran’s nuclear sites and begin a new set of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but that agreement quickly collapsed.

US President Donald Trump insists that military action is necessary to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.

Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon but has never satisfactorily explained to the agency why it has enriched uranium to 60%.

The IAEA report comes before a meeting next week of the agency’s board of governors in Vienna to consider a new resolution censuring Iran.