International

The president of Iran reaffirms that his country will not give up its peaceful nuclear program

The president of Iran, Masud Pezeshkian, reaffirmed that his country will not give up the enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes, although he assured that he takes seriously the nuclear negotiations with the United States, whose fourth round took place this Sunday.

“The dismantling of all Iran’s nuclear facilities is unacceptable,” Pezeshkian emphasized last night during an Iranian cabinet meeting, after the fourth round of negotiations between his country and the United States, according to the IRNA agency.

The Iranian president thus rejected the claims of the US authorities, who last week demanded the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“We will continue to promote these peaceful activities firmly,” Pezeshkian said in reference to his uranium enrichment program.

The president of Iran, however, indicated that his country takes nuclear negotiations with the United States seriously, since he “desires peace.”

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The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, also insisted the day before after the fourth round of talks with the US, in Maskat (Oman), that the enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes is not negotiable.

“The issue of enrichment is not negotiable in any way and must continue,” he said.

Araqchí said that it is possible that Tehran will accept “limitations in some aspects, such as their quantity, level or capacity.”

Despite the differences with the US negotiating team in this regard, the head of Iranian diplomacy described the negotiation as “useful” and said that the parties “have brought positions closer.”

“The topics are more complex, but the round was useful. Both parties better understand the magnitude of the differences. The positions have come closer,” said Araqchí.

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The United States, for its part, called the fourth round of negotiations “encouraging” and pointed out that “an agreement was reached to advance the talks and continue working on the technical elements.”

A source from Donald Trump’s Administration told the press that the dialogue was again both direct and indirect and lasted more than three hours.

The two rivals reached the meeting with public differences over the atomic program of Tehran, which defends the enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes, while Washington calls for its total dismantling.

The US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said on Friday in an interview with the American news portal Breitbart New that Tehran must abandon uranium enrichment completely.

Iran and the United States began talks on April 12, after US President Donald Trump called on Tehran to negotiate an agreement and threatened a military attack if a pact on its atomic program was not reached.

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At the same time, Trump has reimposed the so-called “maximum pressure policy” against the Persian country, which he had already adopted in his first term (2017-2021) after abandoning the 2015 nuclear agreement.

After the US exit from the pact in 2018 and the reinstatement of sanctions, Tehran enriches uranium with a purity of 60%, very close to the 90% necessary to manufacture nuclear weapons.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”