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Iranian President Says US Not Sincere over Readiness to Engage

An Iranian cleric holds balloons as they celebrate the 46th anniversary of the 1979 revolution in Tehran, Iran, 10 February 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian cleric holds balloons as they celebrate the 46th anniversary of the 1979 revolution in Tehran, Iran, 10 February 2025. (EPA)
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Iranian President Says US Not Sincere over Readiness to Engage

An Iranian cleric holds balloons as they celebrate the 46th anniversary of the 1979 revolution in Tehran, Iran, 10 February 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian cleric holds balloons as they celebrate the 46th anniversary of the 1979 revolution in Tehran, Iran, 10 February 2025. (EPA)

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday questioned the United States' sincerity in seeking negotiations with Tehran as crowds of people, many chanting "Death to America", rallied across the country to mark the anniversary of the 1979 revolution.

US President Donald Trump last week restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Trump said however that he would like to have a verified nuclear peace agreement with Tehran and expressed a willingness to talk to Pezeshkian, who said last week it would be easy to verify Iran was not developing atomic weapons.

Pezeshkian, in a televised speech at Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square on Monday, adopted a harsh tone: "If the US were sincere about negotiations, why did they sanction us?"

He said Tehran "does not seek war...but will not yield to foreign pressure".

Iranian state television showed hundreds of thousands of people turning out to mark the anniversary of the revolution in a rally the clerical establishment billed as a chance to show unity amid mounting US and Israel pressure.

"Death to America," and "Death to Israel," shouted demonstrators in cities and towns across Iran, repeating the ritual chant of the revolution which toppled the US-backed Shah and swept the clergy to power.

State media published a picture depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump wearing prison uniforms and standing inside a metal cage. Another picture showed some marchers hanging an effigy of Trump by a noose.

On Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that talks with the US were "not smart, wise, or honorable", but he stopped short of renewing a ban on direct talks with Washington decreed during the first Trump administration in 2018.

During his previous term in office in 2018, Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.

Iran's currency fell on Monday to an all-time low of 932,500 to the dollar on the unofficial market compared with 869,500 rials on Friday, according to the foreign exchange website alanchand.com.

Last month, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters that Iran is "pressing the gas pedal" on its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade. Iran, which has breached the 2015 pact's nuclear curbs, has long said its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

"No country negotiates under pressure and coercion unless it intends to surrender, especially when we remember a history of unfulfilled promises from Washington," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state TV.

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Türkiye Preparing Law to Let PKK Fighters Return under Peace Plan

(FILES) Supporters display a poster depicting jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, after he called on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve itself in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, on February 27, 2025.(Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
(FILES) Supporters display a poster depicting jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, after he called on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve itself in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, on February 27, 2025.(Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Türkiye Preparing Law to Let PKK Fighters Return under Peace Plan

(FILES) Supporters display a poster depicting jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, after he called on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve itself in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, on February 27, 2025.(Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
(FILES) Supporters display a poster depicting jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, after he called on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve itself in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, on February 27, 2025.(Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Türkiye is preparing a law to let thousands of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters and civilians return home from hideouts in northern Iraq under negotiations to end generations of war.

A senior Middle East official and a Kurdish political party source in Türkiye said the proposed law would protect those returning home but stop short of offering a general amnesty for crimes committed by former militants. Some militant leaders could be sent to third countries under the plans.

Bringing PKK guerrillas and their families home from their bases in mountainous northern Iraq is seen as one of the final hurdles in a peace process launched a year ago to end a war that has killed 40,000 people.

While officials have spoken publicly about reconciliation efforts in general terms, the sources disclosed details that have not previously been reported, including proposals for returns to take place in separate waves of civilians and fighters, and for commanders to be sent to third countries.

The Middle East official, describing the sensitive negotiations on condition of anonymity, said legislation to allow the returns could come before the Turkish parliament as soon as this month.

PLAN COULD INCLUDE SEPARATE WAVES OF RETURNS

Türkiye‘s intelligence agency MIT, which has led talks with the PKK, did not immediately comment on the proposal. The PKK did not immediately comment.

Since Kurdish militants launched their insurgency in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has exerted a huge economic and social burden on Türkiye and neighboring countries.

Ending it would boost NATO member Türkiye’s political and economic stability, and ease tensions in Iraq where the PKK is based, and Syria where Kurdish fighters have been allied with US forces.

In a major breakthrough, the PKK announced a decision in May to disarm and disband after a call to end its armed struggle from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan.

In July the group symbolically burned weapons, and last month it announced it was withdrawing fighters from Türkiye as part of the disarmament process. It called on Ankara to take steps to let its members participate in "democratic politics".

But the terms of reconciliation have been sensitive, with Türkiye wary of offering a wide amnesty for what it considers past crimes of a terrorist organization.

Numan Kurtulmus, who heads a reconciliation commission set up by Türkiye in August, said last week that any legal steps would come only after Türkiye verifies that the PKK has completed its dissolution process.

"Once Türkiye’s security and intelligence units have verified and confirmed that the organiئation has truly laid down its arms and completed its dissolution process, the country will enter a new phase of legal regulations aimed at building a terror-free Türkiye," he said.

According to the senior Middle East official, the proposal now being discussed would see roughly 1,000 civilians and non-combatants return first, followed by about 8,000 fighters after individual screening.

Beyond that, the official said Türkiye had so far rejected taking back around 1,000 senior and mid-level PKK figures, and wants them relocated to a third country, possibly in Europe.

Talks were ongoing on that issue, with some parties involved in the negotiations concerned that excluding PKK top brass from repatriation could eventually fuel a renewed insurgency, the official said.

Legislation to enable returns could come before the Turkish parliament as early as the end of November, the official added.

Tayip Temel, deputy co-chair of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party - which though an opposition party has worked closely with the government on the peace process - said the ongoing negotiations focused on a formula personally emphasiئed by Ocalan.

"Work is underway on a special law for the PKK to enable the democratic and social reintegration of its members," Temel told Reuters.

"The law will cover everyone returning from the PKK, whether civilian or militant. There is no plan for a phased return. The formula being worked on is comprehensive and applies to all."

He confirmed that Türkiye had raised the idea of some PKK figures being sent to third countries, but said this would have to be discussed with the potential hosts.

DIFFERENT PROCEDURES FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS

Another source at DEM, parliament's third-biggest party, said the commission drafting the proposal was working on a single, PKK-specific law that would avoid the language of a general amnesty.

"Different procedures will apply to different groups of returnees," the source said, adding that some returning PKK members will likely face investigations and trials. "Otherwise it will be hard to reach common ground among parties in the commission."

Once the parliamentary commission completes its work, it is expected to recommend the special PKK law to parliament, paving the way for potential legislation.

Human Rights Watch urged lawmakers to use the peace process to reform laws that have long been used to charge and incarcerate non-violent Kurdish activists.

The commission "has a unique opportunity to help shape a post-conflict society and should make bold recommendations to repeal abusive laws used to silence and marginalize people," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at HRW.

World

Russia Urges Trump Administration to Clarify 'Contradictory' Signals on Nuclear Testing

Representation photo: This photograph shows a general view of Kurskaya nuclear power plant taken outside the town of Kurchatov on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP)
Representation photo: This photograph shows a general view of Kurskaya nuclear power plant taken outside the town of Kurchatov on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP)
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Russia Urges Trump Administration to Clarify 'Contradictory' Signals on Nuclear Testing

Representation photo: This photograph shows a general view of Kurskaya nuclear power plant taken outside the town of Kurchatov on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP)
Representation photo: This photograph shows a general view of Kurskaya nuclear power plant taken outside the town of Kurchatov on August 27, 2024. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP)

Russia urged the United States on Friday to clarify what it called contradictory signals about a resumption of nuclear testing, saying such a step would trigger responses from Russia and other countries.

President Donald Trump last week ordered the US military to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons. But he did not make clear if he meant flight-testing of nuclear-capable missiles or a resumption of tests involving nuclear explosions - something neither the US nor Russia has done for more than three decades.

"If it is the latter, then this will create negative dynamics and trigger steps from other states, including Russia, in response," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"For now, we note that the signals emanating from Washington, which are causing justified concern in all corners of the world, remain contradictory, and, of course, the real state of affairs must be clarified."

Citing the lack of clarity around US plans, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed top officials to prepare proposals for Russia to carry out its own potential nuclear test in response to any US test.

Security analysts say a resumption of testing by any of the world's nuclear powers would be a destabilizing step at a time of acute geopolitical tension, notably over the war in Ukraine, and would likely prompt other countries to follow suit.

Russia and the US possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals.

The last remaining treaty between them that limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads on both sides is due to expire in three months, potentially fueling an arms race that is already in progress.

Putin has proposed that both sides continue to observe the treaty limits for another year, but Trump has yet to respond formally to the idea.

World

Russia Says It’s Ready to Respond to Venezuela’s Appeal for Help 

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2025. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2025. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters)
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Russia Says It’s Ready to Respond to Venezuela’s Appeal for Help 

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2025. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2025. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters)

Russia is prepared to respond to Venezuela's requests for assistance, while urging against any escalation of tension in the region, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has appealed to Moscow for military support, including repairs to Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets, upgrades to radar systems, and the delivery of missile systems.

The request was made in response to what Caracas views as growing threats from Washington, which has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.