The US and five other nations trying to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran are turning away from attempting to reach an agreement by deadline and have started internal discussions on extending the talks, Ynet News reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned about the direction the world’s negotiations with Iran are going, and warned of the danger of the Islamic Republic becoming a nuclear threshold state.
Talks over Iran’s nuclear program might be extended if disagreement over remaining issues cannot be resolved by a November deadline, Iran’s top negotiator was quoted as saying on Friday, in the first hint an extension was being contemplated.
Satellite images have confirmed that a leading Iranian nuclear facility was bombed.
With Iran refusing US demands that it gut its uranium enrichment program, the two sides are now discussing a new proposal that would leave much of Tehran’s enriching machines in place but disconnected from feeds of uranium, diplomats told The Associated Press Saturday.
The heads of Iran and Russia’s state-run nuclear agencies discussed the construction of new nuclear plants in Iran during a meeting held on Friday around the same time that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, also sat down for a chat about Tehran’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with the West, according to regional reports.
An Iranian Christian pastor imprisoned for his faith now faces the death penalty after being officially charged with “spreading corruption on [the] Earth.”
Iranian military leaders on Tuesday vowed that Tehran would take military action against Israel in response to an alleged Israeli drone that was shot down in Iran on Sunday, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Ferguson to lead the investigation into the shooting. It was revealed that Darren Wilson, the police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries, including an orbital (eye socket) fracture, and was nearly beaten unconscious by Brown moments before firing his gun. Meanwhile, Community elders and the clergy were credited with helping to bring “a different dynamic” to protests in this St. Louis suburb, police said as fewer arrests took place.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told the visiting head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Tehran’s long-range missile program will not be discussed as part of talks aimed at resolving a decade-long nuclear dispute. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister did not believe a final-status agreement would be made with the West by the time the next deadline comes in four months.
Pastor Saeed Abedini is facing death threats from members of the Islamic State who are incarcerated in the same Iranian prison where Abedini is being held, according to CBN.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) blasted U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran Tuesday, saying the rolling back of sanctions and allowance of the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism to enrich uranium constituted a “dangerous national security failure,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.
After U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry failed in bringing a ceasefire to the region, U.S. President Barack Obama called and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu to agree to a ceasefire late Sunday night as Operation Protective Edge enters its 21st day. Since the beginning of the operation, 2,538 rockets have been fired into Israel. The death toll in Gaza move above 1,000, while the Israel Defense Forces have lost 43 soldiers.
Iran could still produce enough nuclear material to fuel a bomb in as little as two months, a time frame that has not been prolonged under the recently struck agreement to extend nuclear talks through November, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
The United States will give Iran access to another $2.8 billion over the next several months and appears to have conceded to Iran’s demand that it be permitted to domestically enrich uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Diplomats said a deal with Iran concerning its nuclear program will not be completed by the July 20, the six-month interim deadline, and that “significant gaps” remain.
Israel accepted a Egyptian proposed ceasefire that went into effect at 9 AM, while Hamas’ armed wing rejected the offer completely saying it was “surrender.” If the ceasefire does not hold, Israel vowed to respond in force. Over the seven days of Operation Protective Edge, Israel has struck over 1,500 terrorist related targets in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned any nuclear deal leaving Iran the capability to enrich uranium would be “catastrophic,” as significant gaps remain with a six-month interim deal with Iran expires on July 20.
Iranian security forces have arrested three Christians including a pastor, according to Christian Today.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will hold a rare face to face meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in Vienna to determine Iran’s commitment to reaching a nuclear agreement with the West.