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.



Israel's Netanyahu Arrives in Hungary, Defying ICC Warrant

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
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Israel's Netanyahu Arrives in Hungary, Defying ICC Warrant

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest early Thursday on his first trip to Europe since 2023 and in defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant against him.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban extended an invitation to Netanyahu last November, a day after the ICC issued the arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Orban vowed the EU member would not execute the warrant, despite being an ICC member, saying the court's decision "intervenes in an ongoing conflict... for political purposes".

"Welcome to Budapest, Benjamin Netanyahu!" wrote Hungary's Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky on Facebook as Netanyahu began his visit, and after greeting him at the airport in capital Budapest.

Netanyahu was welcomed with military honors, after which he will hold talks with Orban.

A joint news conference is expected around 12:30 pm (1030 GMT).

'Legal obligation'

Experts say the Israeli premier, who is scheduled to stay in Hungary until Sunday, is trying to diminish the impact of the court's decision, while hoping to drive attention away from tensions at home as he meets like-minded ally Orban.

"His ultimate goal is to regain the ability to travel wherever he wants," Moshe Klughaft, an international strategic consultant and former advisor to Netanyahu, told AFP.

"At first, he's flying to places where there's no risk of arrest, and in doing so, he's also paving the way to normalize his future travels."

Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz in February vowed to make sure Netanyahu can visit his country.

The Hungary trip "goes hand in hand with US sanctions against the ICC," Klughaft said, referring to the punitive measures US President Donald Trump imposed in February over what he described as "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel".

The ICC, based in The Hague, stressed it would be Hungary's "legal obligation" and "responsibility towards other state parties" to enforce the court's decisions.

"When states have concerns in cooperating with the court, they may consult the court in a timely and efficient manner," ICC spokesman Fadi El-Abdallah said.

"However, it is not for states to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court's legal decisions," he added.

Hungary signed the Rome Statute, the international treaty that created the ICC, in 1999 and ratified it two years later during Orban's first term in office.

The ICC, set up in 2002, has no police of its own and relies on the cooperation of its 125 member states to carry out any arrest warrants.

However, Budapest has not promulgated the associated convention for constitutional reasons and therefore asserts it is not obliged to comply with the decisions of the ICC.

Hungary has also repeatedly floated leaving the ICC -- like Burundi and the Philippines -- and has already decided to do so, Radio Free Europe reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.

Increasing pressure

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes -- including starvation as a method of warfare -- in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The war was sparked by the militant Palestinian group's attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.

After Orban invited him, Netanyahu responded by thanking his counterpart for showing "moral clarity".

During the visit, Orban is expected to support Netanyahu on Trump's proposal to relocate more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

Netanyahu's trip comes as he faces increasing pressure over his government's attempts to replace both the domestic security chief and attorney general, while expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges.

"One of Netanyahu's methods is controlling the Israeli agenda," Klughaft said, adding that the Hungary visit gives him a chance to set the conversation for days.

"In such a turbulent period, that's worth a lot to him."

In the past, some top leaders wanted by the ICC have thumbed their noses at the court and travelled to member states with impunity.

Mongolia ignored an ICC warrant last year when it welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit.

Putin is accused of war crimes for the alleged illegal deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children since the Russian invasion in 2022.