Iran, US Deny Nearing a Temporary Nuclear Deal

A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)
A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)
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Iran, US Deny Nearing a Temporary Nuclear Deal

A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)
A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)

Iran and the US denied reports that they were close to a temporary agreement to reduce the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions.

It is no secret that US and European officials have been looking for ways to curb Iran's nuclear program since the collapse of indirect US-Iranian talks on reviving the nuclear deal, formally known as the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

One possible solution was an interim deal under which Iran would accept fewer restrictions on its nuclear program in return for more modest sanctions' relief than in the 2015 deal.

The Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, John Kirby, said that US intelligence officials believe a UAV factory in the Russian Alabuga Special Economic Zone could be operational early next year.

The statement was accompanied by satellite photos taken in April of the plant's site, hundreds of miles east of Moscow, where the factory is likely to be built.

- "Exposing" cooperation with Russia

Kirby confirmed that US officials have also determined that Iran continues to supply the Russian army with one-way attack drones made in Iran to be used in its war on Ukraine.

He revealed that the drones were shipped across the Caspian Sea.

"This is a full-scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, to Iran's neighbors, and the international community," he said.

"We are continuing to use all the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities, including sharing this with the public – and we are prepared to do more."

Kirby reported that the US administration would issue a new advisory to help companies and other governments implement procedures to ensure they do not inadvertently contribute to Iran's drone program.

The advisory aimed "to help businesses and other governments better understand the risks posed by Iran's UAV program and the illicit practices Iran uses to procure components for it."

The US, the EU, and the UK have issued in recent months rules to cut the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran.

A National Security Council spokesman said, "Any reports of an interim agreement are false."

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on such talks, saying it had ways to pass messages to Iran but would not detail their content or how they were delivered.

Iran's mission to the United Nations also cast doubt on the report: "Our comment is the same as the White House comment."

Reuters quoted Iranian officials saying progress had been made, but no agreement was forthcoming.

A third official said US special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, and Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani met at least three times in the past weeks but gave no details.

"There (has) been some progress, and we have exchanged proposals and messages with Americans," said a senior Iranian official. "Still, there are lots of details that we need to discuss."

- Pressure from US legislators

US President Joe Biden's administration has been under more pressure to halt negotiations with Iran.

Thirty-five House representatives sent a bipartisan letter to the British, French, and German leaders urging them to immediately initiate the snapback mechanism of United Nations sanctions on Iran, according to the JCPOA.

The three European countries are the only partners capable of initiating a "snapback" in the 2015 deal that canceled the lifting of UN sanctions on Iran.

The parties to the agreement rejected a previous US attempt to do so, given Washington's withdrawal from the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.

In their new letter, US lawmakers specifically highlight the urgency of stepping back in light of the upcoming expiration of the UN embargo on Iran's missile and drone programs later this year.

The letter read: "It is clear that Iran has failed to live up to its nonproliferation commitments, and time is running out to curb their nuclear ambitions."

"For nearly four years, Iran has ceased implementing important commitments under the JCPOA, continues to expand its nuclear program, and has rejected all diplomatic offers. As our great nations have seen countless times, appeasing belligerent nations does not lead to peace, it only feeds even greater threats to international peace and security."

The two representatives, Claudia Tenney and Josh Gottheimer sent the message, and they were joined by 32 Republicans and Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz.

"It is indisputable that Iran is in violation of the JCPOA, which is why our European allies must initiate snapback now to reimpose previously lifted sanctions," Tenney added.

"Snapback will send a clear message to Iran that its nuclear extortion has severe consequences and that the expansion of its nuclear program will not be tolerated. The time for bold and decisive action is now."

Gottheimer stressed that lifting sanctions on Iran would fuel its malign activities worldwide.



Trump and Zelenskiy Meet One-on-One in Vatican Basilica to Seek Ukraine Peace

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in Kyiv on April 26, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) meets with US President Donald Trump (L) on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in Kyiv on April 26, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) meets with US President Donald Trump (L) on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / AFP)
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Trump and Zelenskiy Meet One-on-One in Vatican Basilica to Seek Ukraine Peace

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in Kyiv on April 26, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) meets with US President Donald Trump (L) on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service in Kyiv on April 26, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) meets with US President Donald Trump (L) on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / AFP)

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, met one-on-one in a marble-lined Vatican basilica on Saturday to try to revive faltering efforts to end Russia's war with Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesman called it "very productive".

The two leaders, leaning in close to each other with no aides around them while seated in St Peter's Basilica, spoke for about 15 minutes, according to Zelenskiy's office, and images of the meeting released by Kyiv and Washington.

The meeting at the Vatican, their first since an angry encounter in the Oval Office in Washington in February, comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

After Pope Francis's funeral service, Trump boarded Air Force One and departed Rome. While in the air he published a social media post in which he took a tough tone on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days," Trump posted on Truth Social. Twelve people were killed on Thursday when a missile fired by Russia hit a Kyiv apartment block.

"It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?' Too many people are dying!!!" Trump wrote.

Trump's post was a departure from his usual rhetoric which has seen the toughest criticism directed at Zelenskiy, while he has spoken positively about Putin.

In a post on social media platform Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote: "Good meeting. One-on-one, we managed to discuss a lot. We hope for a result from all the things that were spoken about."

He said those topics included: "The protection of the lives of our people. A complete and unconditional ceasefire. A reliable and lasting peace that will prevent a recurrence of war."

Zelenskiy added: "It was a very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!"

NO AIDES IN SIGHT

In one photograph released by Zelenskiy's office, the Ukrainian and US leaders sat opposite each other in a hall of the basilica, around two feet apart, and were leaning in towards each other in conversation. No aides could be seen in the image.

In a second photograph, from the same location, Zelenskiy, Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were shown standing in a tight huddle. Macron had his hand on Zelenskiy's shoulder.

After Trump and Zelenskiy met in the basilica, the two men joined other world leaders outside in Saint Peter's Square at the funeral service for Pope Francis, who made the pursuit of peace, including in Ukraine, a motif of his papacy.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who gave the sermon at the funeral service, recalled how Pope Francis did not stop raising his voice to call for negotiations to end conflicts.

"War always leaves the world worse than it was before: it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone," the cardinal said.

DIFFERENCES OVER TERRITORY

Trump has been pressing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree a ceasefire and peace deal. He had previously warned his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

After a round of shuttle diplomacy this week, differences have emerged between the position of the Trump White House on peace talks and the stance of Ukraine and its European allies, according to documents from the talks obtained by Reuters.

Washington is proposing a legal recognition that Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, is Russian territory, something that Kyiv and its allies in Europe say is a red line they will not cross.

There are also differences on how quickly sanctions on Russia would be lifted if a peace deal was signed, what kind of security guarantees Ukraine would have, and how Ukraine would be financially compensated.

Trump and Zelenskiy have had a rocky personal relationship. At their Oval Office meeting, Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of "gambling with World War Three".

Since then, Kyiv has tried to repair relations, but the barbs have continued. Zelenskiy has said Trump was trapped in a "disinformation bubble" that favored Moscow, while the US leader accused Zelenskiy of foot-dragging on a peace deal and making "inflammatory" statements.

But the two men need each other. Trump requires Zelenskiy's buy-in to achieve his stated ambition of bringing a swift peace between Russia and Ukraine, while Kyiv needs Trump to pressure Moscow into diluting some of the more onerous conditions it has set for a truce.

At the Oval Office meeting in February, a reporter who was present from a conservative US news network accused Zelenskiy of disrespecting the occasion by not wearing a suit.

Zelenskiy, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has eschewed suits in favor of military-style attire, saying it is his way of showing solidarity with his countryman fighting to defend Ukraine.

In Rome on Saturday, Zelenskiy again decided against a suit, and instead wore a dark shirt, buttoned up to the neck with no tie, and wore a dark military-style jacket over the top of that.