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Summary
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US rejected any Iranian enrichment and that Washington could terminate talks with Tehran after they meet again on Sunday if they are not productive.
Summary
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US rejected any Iranian enrichment and that Washington could terminate talks with Tehran after they meet again on Sunday if they are not productive.
Tehran hardliners break ranks on talks as US appears to step up demands
The initial consensus in Iran in support of nuclear talks with the United States is beginning to show signs of strain, as some hardliners express unease over what they see as a hardening tone from Washington.
Enrichment and changing US demands vex talks, Iranian sources say
Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States are faltering over whether Iran will be permitted to enrich Uranium and fluctuating US demands, two diplomatic sources in Tehran told Iran International.
Iran International honored at American Abroad Media Awards
Iran International received an award at the 12th annual American Abroad Media (AAM) Awards, in a ceremony held on Thursday in Washington DC.
Iranians of all stripes fume at chance Trump might rebrand Persian Gulf
The mere possibility that US President Donald Trump may rename the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf has outraged both supporters and opponents of the Islamic Republic.
Iran Sanctions
US sanctions Chinese refinery, operators for handling Iranian oil
The United States on Tuesday imposed fresh sanctions on another Chinese refinery and multiple logistics firms for facilitating the sale and shipment of Iranian oil, expanding its efforts to squeeze Tehran’s revenues.
Economy
Uneven Tehran blackouts spark debate on social equity in energy access
Iran’s capital is grappling with renewed electricity outages but growing evidence suggests the burden of power cuts is falling unevenly across the city, raising concerns over social equity and institutional bias in blackout management.
Iran issues first Caspian Sea drilling order in three decades
Iran has issued its first drilling order in the Caspian Sea in nearly 30 years, aiming to revive long-stalled exploration in the region, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Friday.
As dams run dry, Iran’s electricity grid risks summer collapse
Iranian officials are sounding alarms over a deepening water crisis that has already affected nearly four dozen major dams, threatened electricity production, and forced Tehran into rolling blackouts.
Satellite images show US B-52 bombers deployed near Iran – Newsweek
New satellite imagery shows two US B-52 bombers deployed at the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean, reinforcing Washington’s long-range strike posture near Iran as nuclear talks remain postponed, Newsweek reported Thursday.
Iran's Nuclear Program
Iran says it completed refueling at Bushehr nuclear plant, eyes expansion
Iran announced the completion of major maintenance and refueling at its Bushehr nuclear power plant this week, preparing the country’s only operational nuclear facility to meet peak summer electricity demand.
Online gun market thrives in Iran despite harsh new law
Despite a new law targeting the illegal arms trade, Iran’s underground gun market continues to thrive on encrypted Telegram channels where vendors openly offer firearms ranging from pistols to Kalashnikov rifles.
Qom Seminary
Inside Qom Seminary, Iran’s political and spiritual powerhouse
Nestled in the heart of Iran's second holiest city, the century-old Qom Seminary is the most influential Shi'ite clerical institution in the country and arguably the world.
Former Iranian official faces deportation hearing in Canada
A former senior Iranian government official appeared before Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board on Thursday as part of Ottawa’s ongoing efforts to remove top-ranking figures associated with the Islamic Republic, Canadian media reported.
Mideast Crisis
US-Houthi truce may remove major irritant to Iran nuclear talks
An apparent truce to a blazing Yemen front in Iran's regionwide confrontation with Israel and the United States could deal a fillip to flagging Iran-US talks that had been dogged by the uptick in fighting.
Israeli air strikes hit Sanaa airport, power plants
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck and fully disabled Yemen's Sanaa International Airport and power plants in the second round of airstrikes since Monday after the Iran-backed Houthi group attacked Israel's main airport.
Flames of port blast are out but we're burning inside
Another disaster, more Iranians killed, no one held accountable, the media gagged: the port blast on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast was news and not news at the same time.
Iran Protests
Iran used clerics, paramilitary in 2022 protest detention centers, judiciary says
The head of Iran’s judiciary said clerics and Basij paramilitary forces were deployed to detention centers during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests in what he said was a move to offer guidance to detainees, including schoolchildren and university students.
Domestic Politics
National Water Museum in Iran closed to make way for Quran Museum
Iranian authorities have ordered the closure of the country's sole national Water Museum to accommodate the relocation of the Quran Museum, a move that has sparked strong criticism from museum experts and staff, according to an Iranian daily.
Sectarian rhetoric, criticism of US talks on state media raise hackles
Iran’s state-run television is facing sharp criticism from senior clerics and political figures over inflammatory religious commentary and what they call biased coverage of negotiations with the United States.
Khamenei renews call for Muslim unity against US, Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader has said the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj is a fundamentally political act and urged Muslim nations to unite against the United States and Israel, in remarks likely to revive tensions with Saudi Arabia ahead of the annual pilgrimage season.
In Case You Missed It
National Water Museum in Iran closed to make way for Quran Museum
Iranian authorities have ordered the closure of the country's sole national Water Museum to accommodate the relocation of the Quran Museum, a move that has sparked strong criticism from museum experts and staff, according to an Iranian daily.
How the Taliban rape and terrorize women in custody
Eye for Iran Podcast
Iran should ditch enrichment or face attack, US Congressman Mike Lawler says
Iran must agree to end all uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal or be prepared to face attack, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler told Eye for Iran.
Iran: deal or no deal?
Tehran Insider
No deal for us: how Iran–US talks affect ordinary Iranians
I’ve grown the habit of checking the dollar exchange rate every few hours, even though I sold all that I had a few months ago—or perhaps because I sold all that I had a few months ago.
'Martyr families': Iran's last war leaves bitter legacy
My 23-year-old cousin, Ali, newly married and the father of a two-month-old baby, was killed in the Iran-Iraq war in 1985. From that moment, everything in my uncle’s family changed.
