China, Russia and Iran to discuss nuclear issue in Beijing

"What (Trump) did to that Zelensky is truly shameful," the relative moderate president said, referring to an oval office scrap between Trump and the Ukrainian president - Washington's erstwhile wartime partner.

Iranian officials have cited the blowup as a sign of the United States' fickleness and bullying on the world stage. Tehran has resisted Trump's overtures for a new deal over its nuclear program and its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ruled out talks.

"It is unacceptable to say, ‘We give orders to do this (or) not to do that," Pezeshkian said. "I will not come to (negotiate with you). Do whatever the hell you want!"

Faced with deepening economic malaise wrought by US-led sanctions, Pezeshkian had repeatedly advocated for talks with Washington to chip away at Iran's isolation and mitigate deepening financial pain which threatens unrest.

Khamenei, Iran's top decision-maker, has repeatedly rejected the notion after insisting the United States cannot be trusted.

Hardliners orchestrated the ouster of two moderate members of Pezeshkian's cabinet, hamstringing his economic and diplomatic agenda and leading some commentators to predict his resignation.

Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but the UN's nuclear watchdog last week pointed to a sharp rise in Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The United States and European Union said Iran's activities serve no credible civilian purpose and demanded it immediately desist.

High Representative Kaja Kallas's remarks signal an important policy statement by the bloc after Washington and Tehran jousted over whether the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) from which Trump withdrew in his first term can be a basis for a renewed agreement.

"The constant expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme fully contradicts Iran’s own commitments as endorsed by the Security Council," Kallas said at a United Nations Security Council session on EU-UN cooperation.

"At the same time, a multilateral approach, like the JCPOA was, is key. There is no sustainable alternative to a diplomatic solution."

Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but the UN's nuclear watchdog last week pointed to a sharp rise in Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The United States and European Union said Iran's activities serve no credible civilian purpose and demanded it immediately desist.

Trump said on Thursday that Tehran would need to ditch a nuclear program much of the West views as a precursor to building nuclear weapons or face military force.

The hawkish US president has not specified whether the JCPOA, from which he withdrew in his first term after bashing it as too lenient, would be the basis of the talks or whether he sought any international buy-in for a new deal.

Rejecting the idea of a renewed agreement, the Revolutionary Guards' Tasnim news agency said a deal already existed in the form of the JCPOA.

Iran's ally Russia has said it is willing to mediate and Moscow's envoy to the UN nuclear watchdog said on Monday that the JCPOA remains the essential foundation for any future negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

Kallas went on to criticize Iran's aid to Russia in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia has brought others – North Korea, Iran – to support its colonial battle too."

"Iran’s military support to Russia, including the delivery of ballistic missiles, is a major threat to international security," she added.

"We neither take orders nor seek permission regarding our nuclear technology," Aref said on Tuesday.

He said that Iran's nuclear program is focused on peaceful development and guided by religious principles, pointing out that Iran abides by the Supreme Leader’s fatwa (religious decree) prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons.

“If a fatwa prohibits nuclear weapons development and permits peaceful nuclear technology, all state institutions will comply," he said.

In an October 2019 speech, Khamenei said that building and maintaining nuclear weapons is "absolutely haram," meaning strictly forbidden under Islamic law.

Several officials have in the last year hinted at Iran's nuclear capabilities. Last April, after Iran's inaugural aerial barrage on Israel, a senior IRGC commander warned that Tehran could change its nuclear policies if Israel continues to threaten to attack Iran’s nuclear sites.

Ahmad Haghtalab, who is in charge of the security of Iran’s nuclear sites, said: “If the Zionist regime wants to use the threat of attacking nuclear sites to put pressure on Iran, it is possible and conceivable for the Islamic Republic to revise its nuclear doctrine and policies, and deviate from its past declared considerations."

Just this week, Iran's foreign minister said the country’s nuclear program cannot be destroyed by military means, citing the program's widespread dispersion and robust protection.

During an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on Friday, Abbas Araghchi told AFP, “Iran's nuclear program cannot be destroyed through military operations" because the technology is ingrained, facilities are dispersed and protected, and Iran would retaliate proportionally.

The officials' statements suggest that the letter or message contained a mix of carrots and sticks. They also indicate that Iran may be open to Trump’s proposals, provided the talks remain strictly focused on the nuclear issue, as Iravani stated.

Iravani further suggested that Iran can take part in talks with America only to convince Washington that its nuclear program is peaceful.

At another level, media, commentators, and politicians seem perplexed by Trump’s approach. As political analyst Ali Bigdeli told the pro-reform daily Arman Melli, “Trump’s statements about Iran have confused everyone.” He added that “Trump disregards diplomatic protocols and seeks to stage a show of power.”

“He wants to overwhelm the other side, leaving them uncertain about how to respond,” Bigdeli said. Given this, he suggested that Iran might be better off using European mediators rather than engaging with Trump directly.

At the same time, in a commentary in the reformist daily Shargh, Iran's former ambassador to Riyadh Mohammad Hosseini has predicted that "the possibility of a military attack by the United States and Israel on Iran is serious and highly likely in the near future."

Hosseini outlined 10 reasons and indicators suggesting that an attack on Iran is imminent. These include the shared Israeli and US assessment of a shifting balance of power in the region, Iran’s declining ability to respond to threats, and officials in both countries recognizing the weakening ties between the Iranian people and their government.

Hosseini added that Israel and the United States recognize Iran has accelerated uranium enrichment to weaponization levels. He also noted that both countries are aware of Iran’s loss of strategic depth in the region and the likelihood that Russia could use Iran as a bargaining chip in negotiations over Ukraine.

Ali Hossein Ghazizadeh, London-based Iran International analyst, said that Trump understands Iranians will not agree to negotiations under pressure, yet he insists on talks solely to demonstrate that Iran is unwilling to engage.

Meanwhile, former diplomat Fereydoun Majlesi told local media that IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi is concerned about the possible weaponization of Tehran's nuclear program. Another concern for the West is nuclear proliferation in the region as a result of regional countries' rivalry with Iran.

He noted that the United Arab Emirates has already built a nuclear power plant, and Turkey and Saudi Arabia may also be encouraged to develop their own nuclear programs. Majlesi added that Grossi recognizes Iran's ability to effectively circumvent US economic sanctions, making it less likely to abandon enrichment. He quoted Grossi as saying that Iran’s nuclear program has gained new momentum since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal.

Former chairman of the Iranian parliament's foreign relations committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, told the conservative Nameh News website that Trump's threats against Iran are mere "bluffs" and that now is not the right time for Iran to negotiate with him.

State TV commentator Hassan Hanizadeh also dismissed Trump's "war or negotiation" rhetoric as "empty threats," arguing that Trump has no real intention of negotiating with Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran's former chief diplomat in London, Jalal Sadatian, told Nameh News that while Trump might soften his stance on Iran’s nuclear program, he is unlikely to change his broader approach to dealing with Iran.

Six UN Security Council members—France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, Britain, and the US—called for the urgent meeting to discuss Iran's non-compliance with IAEA requests for information on undeclared nuclear material, the sources said.

They want Iran to provide the UN watchdog with "the information necessary to clarify outstanding issues related to undeclared nuclear material detected at multiple locations in Iran," diplomats said.

The request also calls for discussions on Iran's obligations under its safeguards agreement with the IAEA.

The IAEA has warned of Iran’s rapid uranium enrichment to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level.

Western states argue that uranium enrichment to such high levels is unjustifiable for civilian purposes and unprecedented outside of nuclear weapons programs.

Tehran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon.

Iran’s UN mission has not commented on the news.

In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Britain, Germany, France, the US, Russia, and China, trading sanctions relief for nuclear program restrictions.

The US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 under President Trump, prompting Iran to scale back its commitments.

Britain, France, and Germany have informed the UN Security Council of their readiness to trigger a "snapback" of international sanctions to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a measure they will lose the ability to enact on October 18th.

Trump has instructed his UN envoy to collaborate with allies on reimposing sanctions.

On Monday, Moscow's envoy to the UN nuclear watchdog said that the JCPOA remains the cornerstone for future Iran nuclear talks.

Speaking to Izvestia, Mikhail Ulyanov warned that the current deadlock risks uncontrolled escalation, emphasizing the JCPOA's irreplaceable role as a starting point for new negotiations, despite its "half-disassembled state" and IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, calling JCPOA "an empty shell" last month.