Iran April 2025-

Iran February 2024-April 2025

25-26 April
What’s at stake in the Iran-U.S. nuclear talks.
(NYT) A third round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear activities concluded Saturday after several hours of negotiations, partly in writing, between senior officials and teams of technical experts from both sides.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said in an interview with Iran’s state television that the talks were “very serious” and focused on details of a potential agreement. He said disagreements remained between Tehran and Washington, but that he was “cautiously optimistic that we can progress.”
Iran and the United States are expected to hold more nuclear negotiations mediated by Oman amid efforts to shape an agreement to avoid the US attacking Iran.
(Al Jazeera) The Iranian delegation will arrive in Muscat on Friday evening in advance of political and, for the first time, technical talks on Saturday.

Death toll in suspected chemical blast at key Iran port rises to 18
The huge explosion and subsequent blaze at Bandar Abbas port has also left more than 750 people wounded.

24 April
Iran’s exiled ‘crown prince’ calls for mass labor strikes to topple regime
(Politico) Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, tells POLITICO the West must create a “strike fund” to support civil resistance and paralyze the government.
Western governments should create a “strike fund” to support a wave of industrial action across Iran that will paralyze the state and hasten the end of the regime, according to the son of the country’s former leader.
Reza Pahlavi…sees a chance for America and Europe to help the country’s grassroots opposition to overthrow its clerical rulers from within.
In recent years, anger at the regime’s repression and economic mismanagement have boiled over in unusually large public protests. Tehran’s standing across the Middle East has also been heavily dented by the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and by Israel’s devastating strikes against Hamas and Hezbollah.

15-16 April
Trump envoy demands Iran eliminate nuclear programme in apparent U-turn
Steve Witkoff’s switch from saying low-level production could continue seen as example of chaotic US foreign policy
The switch to a more hard-line policy is likely to make it much harder for the US to reach a negotiated agreement with Tehran, bringing back the threat of an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
In a further switch, it was agreed that the next round of indirect US-Iran talks, due to start on Saturday, will continue to be in Oman and the venue would not switch to Italy as proposed by the US.
Iran expected to resist US plan to move uranium stockpile to third country
Issue is seen as a key stumbling block in talks with US as Washington seeks to scale back Iran’s nuclear programme

9 April
Anxious Iranians hope nuclear talks may ease risk of US attack
Iran stocks, rial rise ahead of planned weekend talks in Oman
Many Iranians pessimistic after decades of tensions, sanctions
Trump has threatened military action if no deal to curb Iran’s escalating nuclear programme
(Reuters) – Weary from long years of biting sanctions and worried about U.S. threats of military action, Iranians have responded to the prospect of talks this weekend with expressions of hope that have boosted their stock market and depressed currency.
The U.S.-Iranian talks in Oman are to address the long dispute between Iran and the West over its nuclear programme, though Iranian officials are sceptical of progress and U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb if no deal is reached.

7 April
Iran and the U.S. will hold nuclear talks on Saturday, Trump says.
(NYT) President Trump said on Monday that the United States would engage in “direct” negotiations with Iran next Saturday in a last-ditch effort to rein in the country’s nuclear program, saying Tehran would be “in great danger” if it failed to reach an accord.
If direct talks take place, they would be the first official face-to-face negotiations between the two countries since Mr. Trump abandoned the Obama-era nuclear accord seven years ago. But they would come at a perilous moment, as Iran has lost the air defenses around its key nuclear sites because of precise Israeli strikes last October. And Iran can no longer rely on its proxy forces in the Middle East — Hamas, Hezbollah and the now-ousted Assad government in Syria — to threaten Israel with retaliation.

2 April
Ian Bremmer: Will Trump’s Iran strategy actually prevent war?
The United States is ramping up its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
In a letter sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in early March, President Donald Trump gave Tehran an ultimatum: reach a new nuclear deal with the US within two months or face direct military action – “bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” as he told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Sunday.
The letter proposed mediation by the United Arab Emirates (whose emissaries delivered the missive in question) and expressed Trump’s preference for a diplomatic solution. “I would rather have a peace deal than the other option, but the other option will solve the problem,” the president said.
Trump, Iran trade nuclear barbs as U.S. sends bombers and warships to region
The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran will “move toward” a nuclear weapon if attacked by the U.S. or Israel, just a day after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the country.
A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Monday that Iran will “move toward” a nuclear weapon in response to a U.S. or Israeli attack, just a day after President Donald Trump threatened “bombing the likes of which they have never seen before” if Tehran refuses to destroy its nuclear program and cease supporting proxy militias in the Middle East.