Sharpening rhetoric against Iran, Israel on Tuesday disclosed what it said were two bases used to carry out maritime attacks. Israel also offered to cooperate with Arab partners on counter-measures.

Gulf Arab countries share Israeli concerns about such drones, seeing the hand of Iran or its allies in aerial attacks on shipping or on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia. Tehran has often denied such allegations.

"Today I reveal to you two central bases in the area of Chabahar and Qeshm island in south Iran, from which operations in the maritime arena were launched, and where today, too, advanced Shahed attack drones are deployed," Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz told a televised security conference.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israels-defence-minister-gantzs-household-staffer-accused-of-iran-linked-espionage-431346">Israel's defence minister Gantz's household staffer accused of Iran-linked espionage</a>

Separately, the chief of Israel's air force proposed working with Arab partners - such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with which Israel formalised ties last year - against the drone threat.

"It think that this is a great opportunity to create contacts and to build a defence plan for all the countries that have a common interest in protecting themselves," Major-General Amikam Norkin told the conference, hosted by Reichman University.

"We can help significantly (against drones), whether in terms of intelligence, detection or interception."

(With inputs from agencies)

Sharpening rhetoric against Iran, Israel on Tuesday disclosed what it said were two bases used to carry out maritime attacks. Israel also offered to cooperate with Arab partners on counter-measures.

Sharpening rhetoric against Iran, Israel on Tuesday disclosed what it said were two bases used to carry out maritime attacks. Israel also offered to cooperate with Arab partners on counter-measures. Gulf Arab countries share Israeli concerns about such drones, seeing the hand of Iran or its allies in aerial attacks on shipping or on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia. Tehran has often denied such allegations. "Today I reveal to you two central bases in the area of Chabahar and Qeshm island in south Iran, from which operations in the maritime arena were launched, and where today, too, advanced Shahed attack drones are deployed," Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz told a televised security conference. Also Read | Israel's defence minister Gantz's household staffer accused of Iran-linked espionage Separately, the chief of Israel's air force proposed working with Arab partners - such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with which Israel formalised ties last year - against the drone threat. "It think that this is a great opportunity to create contacts and to build a defence plan for all the countries that have a common interest in protecting themselves," Major-General Amikam Norkin told the conference, hosted by Reichman University. "We can help significantly (against drones), whether in terms of intelligence, detection or interception." (With inputs from agencies)

Israel flags Iran UAV bases, offers to co-operate with Arab allies

Over the past 20 months, Israeli intelligence operatives have assassinated Iran’s chief nuclear scientist and triggered major explosions at four Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, hoping to cripple the centrifuges that produce nuclear fuel and delay the day when Tehran’s new government might be able to build a bomb.

But American intelligence officials and international inspectors say the Iranians have quickly gotten the facilities back online — often installing newer machines that can enrich uranium at a far more rapid pace. When a plant that made key centrifuge parts suffered what looked like a crippling explosion in late spring — destroying much of the parts inventory and the cameras and sensors installed by international inspectors — production resumed by late summer.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/either-we-agree-on-everything-or-agree-on-nothing-iran-warns-us-over-nuclear-deal-427765">Either we agree on everything or agree on nothing: Iran warns US over nuclear deal</a>

One senior American official wryly called it Tehran’s Build Back Better plan.

That punch and counterpunch are only part of the escalation in recent months between Iran and the West, a confrontation that is about to come to a head, once again, in Vienna. For the first time since President Ebrahim Raisi took office this past summer, Iranian negotiators plan to meet with their European, Chinese and Russian counterparts at the end of the month to discuss the future of the 2015 nuclear agreement that sharply limited Iran’s activities.

American officials have warned their Israeli counterparts that the repeated attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities may be tactically satisfying, but they are ultimately counterproductive, according to several officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions. Israeli officials have said they have no intention of letting up, waving away warnings that they may only be encouraging a sped-up rebuilding of the programme — one of many areas in which the United States and Israel disagree on the benefits of using diplomacy rather than force.

At the Vienna meeting, American officials will be in the city but not inside the room — because Iran will not meet with them after President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord more than three years ago, leaving the deal in tatters. While five months ago those officials seemed optimistic that the 2015 deal was about to be restored, with the text largely agreed upon, they return to Vienna far more pessimistic than when they last left it, in mid-June. Today that text looks dead, and President Joe Biden’s vision of reentering the agreement in his first year, then building something “longer and stronger,” appears all but gone.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-claims-it-stopped-us-from-seizing-oil-tanker-in-sea-of-oman-426798">&nbsp;Ahead of nuclear talks, Iran conducts military exercise</a>

It is a sign of the changed mood that Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s newly appointed chief nuclear negotiator, does not refer to the upcoming talks as nuclear negotiations at all. Bagheri Kani, a deputy foreign minister, said in Paris last week that “we have no such thing as nuclear negotiations.” Instead, he refers to them as “negotiations to remove unlawful and inhuman sanctions.” Iran says it will insist on the lifting of both nuclear and non-nuclear sanctions, and that it needs a guarantee that no future president could unilaterally abandon the agreement, as Trump did. Biden administration officials say the president would never make such a commitment.

Watch |&nbsp;US envoy to Iran says time shrinking for nuclear deal

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-envoy-to-iran-says-time-shrinking-for-nuclear-deal-430686/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Iran, as always, denies that it has any intention of ever building a nuclear weapon. But the more likely scenario is that it wants a “threshold capability” — one that would leave it able to produce a weapon in weeks or months if it felt the need.

Publicly, the United States is hinting that if Iran stonewalls in Vienna, it may have to consider new sanctions.

Robert Malley, the State Department’s Iran envoy, said recently that while “it is in Iran’s hands to choose” which path to take, the United States and other allies need to be prepared for whichever choice Tehran makes.

He noted that Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “have both said if diplomacy fails, we have other tools — and we will use other tools to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

But inside the White House, there has been a scramble in recent days to explore whether some kind of interim deal might be possible to freeze Iran’s production of more enriched uranium and its conversion of that fuel to metallic form — a necessary step in fabricating a warhead. In return, the United States might ease a limited number of sanctions. That would not solve the problem. But it might buy time for negotiations while holding off Israeli threats to bomb Iranian facilities.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/time-is-short-for-iran-to-return-to-nuclear-deal-us-envoy-430764">'Time is short' for Iran to return to nuclear deal: US envoy</a>

Buying time, perhaps lots of it may prove essential. Many of Biden’s advisers are doubtful that introducing new sanctions on Iran’s leadership, its military or its oil trade — atop the 1,500 Trump imposed — would be any more successful than past efforts to pressure Iran to change course.

And more aggressive steps that were successful years ago may not yield the kind of results they have in mind. Inside the National Security Agency and US&nbsp;Cyber Command, there is consensus that it is much harder now to pull off the kind of cyberattack that the United States and Israel conducted more than a decade ago, when a secret operation, code-named “Olympic Games,” crippled centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment site for more than a year.

Current and former American and Israeli officials note that the Iranians have since improved their defences and built their own cyber forces, which the administration warned last week were increasingly active inside the United States.

The Iranians have also continued to bar inspectors from key sites, despite a series of agreements with Rafael M. Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ watchdog, to preserve data from the agency’s sensors at key locations. The inspectors’ cameras and sensors that were destroyed in the plant explosion in late spring have not been replaced.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-has-again-boosted-uranium-stockpile-iaea-reports-430382">Iran has again boosted uranium stockpile, IAEA reports</a>

“From my perspective, what counts is the inspections that you have in place,” Grossi said in a recent interview in Washington, where he spent a week talking with American officials and warning them that his agency was slowly “going blind” in Iran. He is scheduled to arrive in Tehran on Monday, in a last-ditch effort to revive monitoring and inspections before the agency’s board of governors meets this week.

The inspection gap is particularly worrisome because the Iranians are declaring that they have now produced roughly 55 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That purity is below the 90% normally used to produce a weapon, but not by much. It is a level “that only countries making bombs have,” Grossi said. “That doesn’t mean that Iran is doing that. But it means that it is very high.”

And while Iranian officials have given many explanations for why they are taking the step — for example, to fuel naval nuclear reactors, which Iran does not possess — the real reason seems to be to build pressure.

This month, the spokesperson for Iran’s atomic energy agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, noted with pride that only countries with nuclear weapons have shown that they can enrich uranium to this level. (He is wrong: Several non-nuclear states have done so.)

“In this organisation now, if we have the will, we can do anything,” he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-warns-nuclear-talks-would-fail-unless-biden-provides-guarantees-426395">Iran warns nuclear talks would fail unless Biden provides guarantees</a>

Before Trump decided to scrap the deal, Iran had adhered to the limits of the 2015 agreement — which by most estimates kept it about a year from “breakout,” the point where it has enough material for a bomb. While estimates vary, that buffer is now down to somewhere between three weeks and a few months, which would change the geopolitical calculation throughout the Middle East.

When Biden took office, several of his top aides had high hopes that the original deal — parts of which they had negotiated — could be revived. At that time, the Iranians who had agreed to the accord were still in place: Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, and his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, remained in office, even if their power was greatly diminished.

But the administration spent two months determining how to approach a negotiation, and European officials complain that, in retrospect, that lost time proved damaging.

It was only at the end of March that the two sides agreed to return to the table; the Vienna talks began in early April.

By June, an agreement “was largely complete,” one senior administration official said. Then it became clear that Iran was stalling until its presidential elections, which brought in Raisi, a hard-line former head of the judiciary.

Initially, American officials hoped Raisi would just take the agreement that had been negotiated, make minor alterations and celebrate a lifting of most Western sanctions. Anything that went wrong, they calculated, the new president could blame on the former president and foreign minister.

But that proved a miscalculation. In late September, the country’s new foreign minister, Hossain Amirabdollahian, told The New York Times that he had no interest in conducting the kind of detailed negotiation that his predecessor had worked on for years.

The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said at a recent news conference that Iran had three conditions for Washington to return to the deal: It must admit to wrongdoing in pulling out of the deal, it must lift all sanctions at once, and it must offer a guarantee that no other administration will exit the deal as Trump did.

“It is absolutely impossible for Iran to give the level of concession to the U.S. that Rouhani’s government gave,” said Gheis Ghoreishi, a foreign policy adviser close to Iran’s government. “We are not going to give all our cards and then wait around to see if the US&nbsp;or EU&nbsp;are going to be committed to the deal or not; this is no way going to happen.”

While European officials say they do not want to consider a “Plan B” if a standoff develops, a variety of such plans — ranging from economic isolation to sabotage — have been the regular subject of meetings at the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department. Asked about the Plan B discussions at a news conference more than two weeks ago, Biden paused a moment, then said, “I’m not going to comment on Iran now.”

But the Israelis are commenting. This month Israel’s army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said the Israeli military was “speeding up the operational plans and readiness for dealing with Iran and the nuclear military threat.” It was a reference to the fact that the new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has authorised more funding for planning and practising attacks. Israeli officials insist they have developed a bunker-busting capability that obviates the need for the kind of help they sought from the Bush administration 13 years ago. Whether that is true or a bluff remains unclear.

At some point, Biden administration officials say they may be forced to declare that Iran’s nuclear programme is simply too advanced for anyone to safely return to the 2015 agreement. “This is not a chronological clock; it’s a technological clock,” Malley said in a briefing last month. “At some point,” he added, the agreement “will have been so eroded because Iran will have made advances that cannot be reversed.”

He added: “You can’t revive a dead corpse.”

Over the past 20 months, Israeli intelligence operatives have assassinated Iran’s chief nuclear scientist and triggered major explosions at four Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, hoping to cripple the centrifuges that produce nuclear fuel and delay the day when Tehran’s new government might be able to build a bomb.

Over the past 20 months, Israeli intelligence operatives have assassinated Iran’s chief nuclear scientist and triggered major explosions at four Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, hoping to cripple the centrifuges that produce nuclear fuel and delay the day when Tehran’s new government might be able to build a bomb. But American intelligence officials and international inspectors say the Iranians have quickly gotten the facilities back online — often installing newer machines that can enrich uranium at a far more rapid pace. When a plant that made key centrifuge parts suffered what looked like a crippling explosion in late spring — destroying much of the parts inventory and the cameras and sensors installed by international inspectors — production resumed by late summer. Also read | Either we agree on everything or agree on nothing: Iran warns US over nuclear deal One senior American official wryly called it Tehran’s Build Back Better plan. That punch and counterpunch are only part of the escalation in recent months between Iran and the West, a confrontation that is about to come to a head, once again, in Vienna. For the first time since President Ebrahim Raisi took office this past summer, Iranian negotiators plan to meet with their European, Chinese and Russian counterparts at the end of the month to discuss the future of the 2015 nuclear agreement that sharply limited Iran’s activities. American officials have warned their Israeli counterparts that the repeated attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities may be tactically satisfying, but they are ultimately counterproductive, according to several officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions. Israeli officials have said they have no intention of letting up, waving away warnings that they may only be encouraging a sped-up rebuilding of the programme — one of many areas in which the United States and Israel disagree on the benefits of using diplomacy rather than force. At the Vienna meeting, American officials will be in the city but not inside the room — because Iran will not meet with them after President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord more than three years ago, leaving the deal in tatters. While five months ago those officials seemed optimistic that the 2015 deal was about to be restored, with the text largely agreed upon, they return to Vienna far more pessimistic than when they last left it, in mid-June. Today that text looks dead, and President Joe Biden’s vision of reentering the agreement in his first year, then building something “longer and stronger,” appears all but gone. Also Read: Ahead of nuclear talks, Iran conducts military exercise It is a sign of the changed mood that Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s newly appointed chief nuclear negotiator, does not refer to the upcoming talks as nuclear negotiations at all. Bagheri Kani, a deputy foreign minister, said in Paris last week that “we have no such thing as nuclear negotiations.” Instead, he refers to them as “negotiations to remove unlawful and inhuman sanctions.” Iran says it will insist on the lifting of both nuclear and non-nuclear sanctions, and that it needs a guarantee that no future president could unilaterally abandon the agreement, as Trump did. Biden administration officials say the president would never make such a commitment. Watch | US envoy to Iran says time shrinking for nuclear deal Iran, as always, denies that it has any intention of ever building a nuclear weapon. But the more likely scenario is that it wants a “threshold capability” — one that would leave it able to produce a weapon in weeks or months if it felt the need. Publicly, the United States is hinting that if Iran stonewalls in Vienna, it may have to consider new sanctions. Robert Malley, the State Department’s Iran envoy, said recently that while “it is in Iran’s hands to choose” which path to take, the United States and other allies need to be prepared for whichever choice Tehran makes. He noted that Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “have both said if diplomacy fails, we have other tools — and we will use other tools to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.” But inside the White House, there has been a scramble in recent days to explore whether some kind of interim deal might be possible to freeze Iran’s production of more enriched uranium and its conversion of that fuel to metallic form — a necessary step in fabricating a warhead. In return, the United States might ease a limited number of sanctions. That would not solve the problem. But it might buy time for negotiations while holding off Israeli threats to bomb Iranian facilities. Also read | 'Time is short' for Iran to return to nuclear deal: US envoy Buying time, perhaps lots of it may prove essential. Many of Biden’s advisers are doubtful that introducing new sanctions on Iran’s leadership, its military or its oil trade — atop the 1,500 Trump imposed — would be any more successful than past efforts to pressure Iran to change course. And more aggressive steps that were successful years ago may not yield the kind of results they have in mind. Inside the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, there is consensus that it is much harder now to pull off the kind of cyberattack that the United States and Israel conducted more than a decade ago, when a secret operation, code-named “Olympic Games,” crippled centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment site for more than a year. Current and former American and Israeli officials note that the Iranians have since improved their defences and built their own cyber forces, which the administration warned last week were increasingly active inside the United States. The Iranians have also continued to bar inspectors from key sites, despite a series of agreements with Rafael M. Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ watchdog, to preserve data from the agency’s sensors at key locations. The inspectors’ cameras and sensors that were destroyed in the plant explosion in late spring have not been replaced. Also Read | Iran has again boosted uranium stockpile, IAEA reports “From my perspective, what counts is the inspections that you have in place,” Grossi said in a recent interview in Washington, where he spent a week talking with American officials and warning them that his agency was slowly “going blind” in Iran. He is scheduled to arrive in Tehran on Monday, in a last-ditch effort to revive monitoring and inspections before the agency’s board of governors meets this week. The inspection gap is particularly worrisome because the Iranians are declaring that they have now produced roughly 55 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That purity is below the 90% normally used to produce a weapon, but not by much. It is a level “that only countries making bombs have,” Grossi said. “That doesn’t mean that Iran is doing that. But it means that it is very high.” And while Iranian officials have given many explanations for why they are taking the step — for example, to fuel naval nuclear reactors, which Iran does not possess — the real reason seems to be to build pressure. This month, the spokesperson for Iran’s atomic energy agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, noted with pride that only countries with nuclear weapons have shown that they can enrich uranium to this level. (He is wrong: Several non-nuclear states have done so.) “In this organisation now, if we have the will, we can do anything,” he said. Also read | Iran warns nuclear talks would fail unless Biden provides guarantees Before Trump decided to scrap the deal, Iran had adhered to the limits of the 2015 agreement — which by most estimates kept it about a year from “breakout,” the point where it has enough material for a bomb. While estimates vary, that buffer is now down to somewhere between three weeks and a few months, which would change the geopolitical calculation throughout the Middle East. When Biden took office, several of his top aides had high hopes that the original deal — parts of which they had negotiated — could be revived. At that time, the Iranians who had agreed to the accord were still in place: Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, and his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, remained in office, even if their power was greatly diminished. But the administration spent two months determining how to approach a negotiation, and European officials complain that, in retrospect, that lost time proved damaging. It was only at the end of March that the two sides agreed to return to the table; the Vienna talks began in early April. By June, an agreement “was largely complete,” one senior administration official said. Then it became clear that Iran was stalling until its presidential elections, which brought in Raisi, a hard-line former head of the judiciary. Initially, American officials hoped Raisi would just take the agreement that had been negotiated, make minor alterations and celebrate a lifting of most Western sanctions. Anything that went wrong, they calculated, the new president could blame on the former president and foreign minister. But that proved a miscalculation. In late September, the country’s new foreign minister, Hossain Amirabdollahian, told The New York Times that he had no interest in conducting the kind of detailed negotiation that his predecessor had worked on for years. The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said at a recent news conference that Iran had three conditions for Washington to return to the deal: It must admit to wrongdoing in pulling out of the deal, it must lift all sanctions at once, and it must offer a guarantee that no other administration will exit the deal as Trump did. “It is absolutely impossible for Iran to give the level of concession to the U.S. that Rouhani’s government gave,” said Gheis Ghoreishi, a foreign policy adviser close to Iran’s government. “We are not going to give all our cards and then wait around to see if the US or EU are going to be committed to the deal or not; this is no way going to happen.” While European officials say they do not want to consider a “Plan B” if a standoff develops, a variety of such plans — ranging from economic isolation to sabotage — have been the regular subject of meetings at the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department. Asked about the Plan B discussions at a news conference more than two weeks ago, Biden paused a moment, then said, “I’m not going to comment on Iran now.” But the Israelis are commenting. This month Israel’s army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said the Israeli military was “speeding up the operational plans and readiness for dealing with Iran and the nuclear military threat.” It was a reference to the fact that the new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has authorised more funding for planning and practising attacks. Israeli officials insist they have developed a bunker-busting capability that obviates the need for the kind of help they sought from the Bush administration 13 years ago. Whether that is true or a bluff remains unclear. At some point, Biden administration officials say they may be forced to declare that Iran’s nuclear programme is simply too advanced for anyone to safely return to the 2015 agreement. “This is not a chronological clock; it’s a technological clock,” Malley said in a briefing last month. “At some point,” he added, the agreement “will have been so eroded because Iran will have made advances that cannot be reversed.” He added: “You can’t revive a dead corpse.”

As hopes for nuclear deal fade, Iran rebuilds and risks grow

The conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-led coalition continues to escalate. In the latest development Houthi fighters say that they have fired 14 drones at several Saudi cities on Saturday, including at Saudi Aramco's oil refineries in Jeddah.

Conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Saudi-led coalition continues to escalate

The US envoy for Iran warned Friday that Tehran was approaching the point of no return for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal after it boosted its stocks of enriched uranium before talks resume this month.

US envoy to Iran says time shrinking for nuclear deal

US envoy for Iran warned on Friday that Iran was approaching point of no return over revival of 2015 nuclear deal after Tehran boosted stocks of enriched uranium. Talks to revive Iran nuclear deal are to restart on November 29 in Vienna.

Robert Malley, US envoy for Iran said the country was making it "impossible" to gain any benefit from resuming the agreement.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this week that Iran had again increased stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

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"The time will come if Iran continues at this pace with the advancements they've made, (it) will make it impossible even if we were going to go back to the JCPOA to recapture the benefits," Malley told the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was the agreement struck in 2015 under which Iran agreed to clear limits on its nuclear activities in return for an easing of sanctions.

"Iran's advances are spreading alarm across the region... that's what's making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA," Malley said.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-has-again-boosted-uranium-stockpile-iaea-reports-430382">Iran has again boosted uranium stockpile, IAEA reports</a>

On Wednesday, the US and its Gulf Arab allies accused Iran of causing a nuclear crisis and destabilising the region with its ballistic missile programme and support for armed militias.

Malley said the US shared a "commonality of purpose" with rivals Russia and China "because we want to avoid that crisis, all of us, the crisis that would be sparked if Iran continues on its current path".&nbsp;

"And I want to be clear, because there's no ambiguity about what they seem to be doing now, which is to drag their feet on the nuclear talks and accelerate the progress in their nuclear programme."

The US envoy said he was not encouraged by the statements from the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi, which earlier on Friday accused Washington of conducting a "propaganda campaign" against the country.

"If they stick to their public pronouncements, unfortunately we're not headed in the right direction... but let's wait to see what happens," he said, pledging that President Joe Biden would honour a revived deal.

"Our intent, our clear intent in coming back into the deal is to stick with the deal because we don't want to see a nuclear crisis," Malley said.

Iran had reacted angrily to a US pledge to take its Gulf Arab allies' interests into account in any revived nuclear deal with their arch rival.

"The US government, which is responsible for the current situation after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, is once again trying to provoke a crisis," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh charged.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

US envoy for Iran warned on Friday that Iran was approaching point of no return over revival of 2015 nuclear deal after Tehran boosted stocks of enriched uranium.

US envoy for Iran warned on Friday that Iran was approaching point of no return over revival of 2015 nuclear deal after Tehran boosted stocks of enriched uranium. Talks to revive Iran nuclear deal are to restart on November 29 in Vienna. Robert Malley, US envoy for Iran said the country was making it "impossible" to gain any benefit from resuming the agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this week that Iran had again increased stockpile of highly enriched uranium. × "The time will come if Iran continues at this pace with the advancements they've made, (it) will make it impossible even if we were going to go back to the JCPOA to recapture the benefits," Malley told the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was the agreement struck in 2015 under which Iran agreed to clear limits on its nuclear activities in return for an easing of sanctions. "Iran's advances are spreading alarm across the region... that's what's making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA," Malley said. Also Read | Iran has again boosted uranium stockpile, IAEA reports On Wednesday, the US and its Gulf Arab allies accused Iran of causing a nuclear crisis and destabilising the region with its ballistic missile programme and support for armed militias. Malley said the US shared a "commonality of purpose" with rivals Russia and China "because we want to avoid that crisis, all of us, the crisis that would be sparked if Iran continues on its current path". "And I want to be clear, because there's no ambiguity about what they seem to be doing now, which is to drag their feet on the nuclear talks and accelerate the progress in their nuclear programme." The US envoy said he was not encouraged by the statements from the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi, which earlier on Friday accused Washington of conducting a "propaganda campaign" against the country. "If they stick to their public pronouncements, unfortunately we're not headed in the right direction... but let's wait to see what happens," he said, pledging that President Joe Biden would honour a revived deal. "Our intent, our clear intent in coming back into the deal is to stick with the deal because we don't want to see a nuclear crisis," Malley said. Iran had reacted angrily to a US pledge to take its Gulf Arab allies' interests into account in any revived nuclear deal with their arch rival. "The US government, which is responsible for the current situation after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, is once again trying to provoke a crisis," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh charged. (With inputs from agencies)

'Time is short' for Iran to return to nuclear deal: US envoy

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The UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday reported that Iran has again boosted its stock of highly enriched uranium, just days before talks are set to resume seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

In a report seen by AFP, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium at 2,489.7 kilograms -- many times in excess of the limit laid down in the 2015 agreement.

The total amount now includes 113.8 kg enriched to 20 percent, up from 84.3 kg in September, and 17.7 kg enriched up to 60 percent, up from 10 kg, the report said.

The document will be discussed during the IAEA's Board of Governors, scheduled for next week with diplomats preparing to restart talks in Vienna on November 29 over reviving the moribund 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

The remaining parties to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- will join the talks while the United States will participate indirectly.

Iran's acting head of mission to UN agencies in Vienna, Mohammad Reza Ghaebi, said the new report "shows that the IAEA has continued its verification and surveillance activities regarding Tehran's engagements."

Quoted by Iranian media, he said that talks were ongoing to "solve some issues between the two parties" and called on IAEA member states to refrain from "making hasty or politically motivated comments".

A spokesman for Iran's atomic agency told Fars news agency on Wednesday that IAEA chief Rafael Grossi would arrive in Tehran on Monday.&nbsp;

Grossi will meet Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Iranian Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday, the spokesman added.

- 'Astonishing' lack of contact -

On November 12, Grossi described as "astonishing" his lack of contact with the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi.

He said he had hoped to meet Iranian officials ahead of the next meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors, scheduled for next week.

During Grossi's last visit to Tehran in September, he clinched a deal on access to monitoring equipment at Iran's nuclear facilities.

But days later, the IAEA complained that it was prevented from "indispensable" access to a unit at the TESA complex in the city of Karaj, near Tehran, in violation of the September deal.

Iran's ambassador to the IAEA rejected the charge, however, tweeting that "equipment related to this complex are not included for servicing", referring to IAEA work on its monitoring equipment.

The IAEA on Wednesday also "categorically" denied its cameras had played a part in an unclaimed June attack on the TESA complex.

Tehran -- which has blamed its arch-enemy Israel -- told the agency it was investigating the possibility, the IAEA said in its report.

'Excessively invasive'

The agreement that Grossi reached in September was an extension of a deal struck in February after Iran limited some of the IAEA's activities in the country.

Wednesday's report warned, however, that the repeated prolongation of the agreement was "becoming a significant challenge to the Agency's ability to restore... continuity of knowledge" about Iran's nuclear activities.

It warned that establishing clarity on activities in Karaj "has been widely recognised as essential in relation to a return to the JCPOA", referring to the 2015 nuclear deal.

The Vienna talks later this month will discuss the possibility of reviving that agreement, which offered Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange for major curbs on its nuclear activities.

The United States unilaterally pulled out of the accord in 2018 under the administration of President Donald Trump.

In response, Iran began in 2019 walking back on its commitments under the nuclear deal, notably increasing its uranium enrichment.&nbsp;

In a separate report also issued on Wednesday, the IAEA said there had been virtually no progress in resolving several questions the agency has about the previous presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites in the country.

That report also noted that Grossi was "concerned by the incidences of Agency inspectors being subjected to excessively invasive physical searches by security officials at nuclear facilities" and called on Iran to "take immediate steps to rectify the situation".

The UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday reported that Iran has again boosted its stock of highly enriched uranium, just days before talks are set to resume seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

The UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday reported that Iran has again boosted its stock of highly enriched uranium, just days before talks are set to resume seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. In a report seen by AFP, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium at 2,489.7 kilograms -- many times in excess of the limit laid down in the 2015 agreement. The total amount now includes 113.8 kg enriched to 20 percent, up from 84.3 kg in September, and 17.7 kg enriched up to 60 percent, up from 10 kg, the report said. The document will be discussed during the IAEA's Board of Governors, scheduled for next week with diplomats preparing to restart talks in Vienna on November 29 over reviving the moribund 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The remaining parties to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- will join the talks while the United States will participate indirectly. Iran's acting head of mission to UN agencies in Vienna, Mohammad Reza Ghaebi, said the new report "shows that the IAEA has continued its verification and surveillance activities regarding Tehran's engagements." Quoted by Iranian media, he said that talks were ongoing to "solve some issues between the two parties" and called on IAEA member states to refrain from "making hasty or politically motivated comments". A spokesman for Iran's atomic agency told Fars news agency on Wednesday that IAEA chief Rafael Grossi would arrive in Tehran on Monday. Grossi will meet Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Iranian Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday, the spokesman added. - 'Astonishing' lack of contact - On November 12, Grossi described as "astonishing" his lack of contact with the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi. He said he had hoped to meet Iranian officials ahead of the next meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors, scheduled for next week. During Grossi's last visit to Tehran in September, he clinched a deal on access to monitoring equipment at Iran's nuclear facilities. But days later, the IAEA complained that it was prevented from "indispensable" access to a unit at the TESA complex in the city of Karaj, near Tehran, in violation of the September deal. Iran's ambassador to the IAEA rejected the charge, however, tweeting that "equipment related to this complex are not included for servicing", referring to IAEA work on its monitoring equipment. The IAEA on Wednesday also "categorically" denied its cameras had played a part in an unclaimed June attack on the TESA complex. Tehran -- which has blamed its arch-enemy Israel -- told the agency it was investigating the possibility, the IAEA said in its report. 'Excessively invasive' The agreement that Grossi reached in September was an extension of a deal struck in February after Iran limited some of the IAEA's activities in the country. Wednesday's report warned, however, that the repeated prolongation of the agreement was "becoming a significant challenge to the Agency's ability to restore... continuity of knowledge" about Iran's nuclear activities. It warned that establishing clarity on activities in Karaj "has been widely recognised as essential in relation to a return to the JCPOA", referring to the 2015 nuclear deal. The Vienna talks later this month will discuss the possibility of reviving that agreement, which offered Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange for major curbs on its nuclear activities. The United States unilaterally pulled out of the accord in 2018 under the administration of President Donald Trump. In response, Iran began in 2019 walking back on its commitments under the nuclear deal, notably increasing its uranium enrichment. In a separate report also issued on Wednesday, the IAEA said there had been virtually no progress in resolving several questions the agency has about the previous presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites in the country. That report also noted that Grossi was "concerned by the incidences of Agency inspectors being subjected to excessively invasive physical searches by security officials at nuclear facilities" and called on Iran to "take immediate steps to rectify the situation".

Iran has again boosted uranium stockpile, IAEA reports

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has estimated that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched Uranium is at 2,489.7 kg, this exceeds the limit that was laid down in the 2015 agreement. The document will be discussed during the IAEA meeting scheduled for the next meet.

IAEA: Iran boosting stockpile of highly enriched Uranium again

It might appear to be an unusual incident but has been deemed as a "very serious issue" after Jordan accused Iran of playing a man in a women's international, even demanded a "gender verification check". After a thrilling 4-2 shoot-out win over Jordan in September, Iran had qualified for their first-ever 2022 Women's Asia Cup. However, their fierce rivals Jordan are now questioning the gender identification of one of the Iranian players.&nbsp;

Iranian goalkeeper Zohreh Koudaei, who helped the team to register a stunning win, has now been facing calls to confirm her gender. She blocked two goal attempts by the Jordanian team, resulting in Iran's qualification.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/very-excited-and-happy-padma-shri-recipient-oinam-bembem-devi-on-india-hosting-the-afc-womens-asian-cup-428891">'Very excited and happy': Padma Shri recipient Oinam Bembem Devi on India hosting the AFC Women's Asian Cup</a>

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, who is the president of the Jordan Football Association tweeted on Sunday (November 14), asking the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to "please wake up". In a letter, he requested a "gender verification check" on the Iranian player in question. He suggested that Iran's goalkeeper during the match was a man posing as a woman.&nbsp;

"The medical staff have carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry. We will provide any documentation that the Asian Confederation of Football wishes without wasting time," Iran's team's selector Maryam Irandoost told sports news site Varzesh3, dismissing the allegation.&nbsp;

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<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No relevance to previous tweets but it’s a very serious issue if true. Please wake up <a href="https://twitter.com/theafcdotcom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theafcdotcom</a> <a href="https://t.co/egk678CXCX">pic.twitter.com/egk678CXCX</a>
— Ali Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) <a href="https://twitter.com/AliBinAlHussein/status/1459663347851444226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Here are some images posted on social media:&nbsp;

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Tras perder 4-2 ante Irán en el partido de clasificación para la Copa Asiática femenina, Jordania exige una investigación a la Confederación Asiática para determinar si la guardameta Zohreh Koudaei, clave en la victoria iraní, es en realidad un hombre. <a href="https://t.co/SNgipTnfhR">pic.twitter.com/SNgipTnfhR</a>
— Inquebrantable (@esp_soc) <a href="https://twitter.com/esp_soc/status/1460618272739573765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Iran have been accused of playing a man as a goalkeeper for their women's national team against rivals Jordan who have demanded a 'gender verification' probe. 
 
Zohreh Koudaei, saved 2 penalties during the 4-2 shoot-out victory over Jordan in Uzbekistan September 
 
Photo Courtesy. <a href="https://t.co/ZZe1rb1hSY">pic.twitter.com/ZZe1rb1hSY</a>
— Stephen Mukangai (@SMukangai) <a href="https://twitter.com/SMukangai/status/1460662231784464394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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In a letter dated November 5, the Jordan Football Association cast doubts over the "eligibility of a participating player" the letter also alleged that the Iranian women's team "has a history with gender and doping issues" and demanded a probe.&nbsp;

Irandoost also said, "These allegations are just an excuse not to accept the defeat against the Iranian women's national team. The Jordanian team considered themselves the big favourite to qualify... and when they lost... it was natural to seek relief under false pretences and to escape responsibility for this failure."

There's no response by AFC on the same yet.&nbsp;

It might appear to be an unusual incident but has been deemed as a "very serious issue" after Jordan accused Iran of playing a man in a women's international, even demanded a "gender verification check".

It might appear to be an unusual incident but has been deemed as a "very serious issue" after Jordan accused Iran of playing a man in a women's international, even demanded a "gender verification check". After a thrilling 4-2 shoot-out win over Jordan in September, Iran had qualified for their first-ever 2022 Women's Asia Cup. However, their fierce rivals Jordan are now questioning the gender identification of one of the Iranian players. Iranian goalkeeper Zohreh Koudaei, who helped the team to register a stunning win, has now been facing calls to confirm her gender. She blocked two goal attempts by the Jordanian team, resulting in Iran's qualification. ALSO READ | 'Very excited and happy': Padma Shri recipient Oinam Bembem Devi on India hosting the AFC Women's Asian Cup Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, who is the president of the Jordan Football Association tweeted on Sunday (November 14), asking the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to "please wake up". In a letter, he requested a "gender verification check" on the Iranian player in question. He suggested that Iran's goalkeeper during the match was a man posing as a woman. "The medical staff have carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry. We will provide any documentation that the Asian Confederation of Football wishes without wasting time," Iran's team's selector Maryam Irandoost told sports news site Varzesh3, dismissing the allegation. ALSO READ | Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy charged with 2 more counts of rape No relevance to previous tweets but it’s a very serious issue if true. Please wake up @theafcdotcom pic.twitter.com/egk678CXCX — Ali Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) November 13, 2021 × Here are some images posted on social media: Tras perder 4-2 ante Irán en el partido de clasificación para la Copa Asiática femenina, Jordania exige una investigación a la Confederación Asiática para determinar si la guardameta Zohreh Koudaei, clave en la victoria iraní, es en realidad un hombre. pic.twitter.com/SNgipTnfhR — Inquebrantable (@esp_soc) November 16, 2021 × Iran have been accused of playing a man as a goalkeeper for their women's national team against rivals Jordan who have demanded a 'gender verification' probe. Zohreh Koudaei, saved 2 penalties during the 4-2 shoot-out victory over Jordan in Uzbekistan September Photo Courtesy. pic.twitter.com/ZZe1rb1hSY — Stephen Mukangai (@SMukangai) November 16, 2021 × In a letter dated November 5, the Jordan Football Association cast doubts over the "eligibility of a participating player" the letter also alleged that the Iranian women's team "has a history with gender and doping issues" and demanded a probe. Irandoost also said, "These allegations are just an excuse not to accept the defeat against the Iranian women's national team. The Jordanian team considered themselves the big favourite to qualify... and when they lost... it was natural to seek relief under false pretences and to escape responsibility for this failure." There's no response by AFC on the same yet.

Jordan accuses Iran of playing a MAN as goalkeeper during crucial women's match, demands gender probe

Every year harvesting Pomegranate villagers in Iran ran a festival by preparing local foods, playing games. Iran tops the list of the world's Pomegranate producers. The domestic production of Pomegranate in Iran exceeds 1 million tonnes annually.

Pomegranate Festival: Iranians celebrate annual harvesting season in Tehran

Amid waves of coronavirus pandemic and crippling US sanctions, Iran’s economy is shrinking and witnessing losses just before the country is set to resume the nuclear deal talks. Iran's currency Rial has declined by nearly 2.8% in the past week.

US sanctions cripple Iranian economy, more than 31% decline in last six months

Iran sets conditions for the return of the United States to the nuclear deal, ahead of the long-awaited resumption of nuclear talks later this month.

Iran sets conditions ahead of resumption of Nuclear talks

As world powers ramp up efforts to resume talks on the crucial 2015 nuclear deal, Iran said that it seeks assurances from the United States that it will never again pull out of the accord.

Iran sets conditions for United States ahead of resumption of Nuclear talks

Tensions between Israel and Iran continue to simmer, Israel has now accused Iran of launching attacks on Israelis visiting other countries. According to sources, Iran has been seeking to harm Israelis via cyber attacks.

Israel accuses Iran of plotting attacks

Russia and Iran have confirmed their presence at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10. India is hosting the meeting and will be chaired by National security advisor Ajit Doval.

Iran, Russia confirm presence at Delhi NSA meet on Afghanistan

Amid fears of the Taliban takeover in Kabul, fuelling terror groups in the region, India will host a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan next week, this meeting will be held in New Delhi.

India NSA to host regional security dialogue on Afghanistan; Russia, Iran to attend meet

Iran said that it has stopped the US Navy from seizing its oil tanker in the Sea of Oman. The IRGC has also released a video of Iranian guards taking over ship.

Iran claims it stopped US from seizing oil tanker in Sea of Oman

Russia, Iran and Central Asian countries have confirmed presence at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10.

India is hosting the meeting this year which will be chaired by India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Sources told WION that "there has been an overwhelming response to India's invitation", calling the "high-level participation" in the meet hosted by New Delhi reflective of "widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their desire to consult and coordinate with each other. India has an important role to play in this process."

In a first, all central Asian countries will be present at the meet, not just countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan who share land border with Afghanistan. "The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India's role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan," sources explained.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-supreme-leader-akhundzada-issues-a-warning-against-infiltrators-in-the-ranks-426859" hreflang="en">Taliban supreme leader Akhundzada issues a warning against infiltrators in the ranks</a>

For central Asian countries, concerns of a spillover from Afghanistan have been increasing, and they have been raising the matter in multiple ways. Last month, Russia hosted a meet on Afghanistan in which India was invited. The "Moscow format" meet on Afghanistan has been taking place for last few years and this was the first since the collapse of Afghan republic under President Ashraf Ghani.&nbsp;

The meet comes months after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August. Since then, situation has deteriorated in the country and worries mounted over worsening humanitarian situation. In the past&nbsp;two meetings under the current NSA format has met in Iran, in September 2018 and December 2019. The third such meet was to take place in India but could not happen due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/unicef-aiming-to-fund-afghan-school-teachers-without-giving-money-to-taliban-report-426685" hreflang="en">UNICEF aiming to fund Afghan school teachers without giving money to Taliban: Report</a>

China has not yet responded&nbsp;to India's invite while Pakistan's NSA Mooed Yusuf has publicly announced he will not participate, terming India as "spoiler". Asked on Pakistan's decision, sources said, "Pakistan's decision is unfortunate, but not surprising. It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate. Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format", adding the "media comments against India are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in Afghanistan."

Pakistan has also not yet responded to Indian proposal to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan via Wagha border. Islamabad has been backing Taliban to the hilt and working on at international floras to get the government&nbsp;under the grouping legitimacy. Pakistan Foreign Minister SM Qureshi had recently visited Kabul and engaged with top Taliban leadership.

Russia, Iran and Central Asian countries have confirmed presence at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10. India is hosting the meeting this year which will be chaired by India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Russia, Iran and Central Asian countries have confirmed presence at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10. India is hosting the meeting this year which will be chaired by India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Sources told WION that "there has been an overwhelming response to India's invitation", calling the "high-level participation" in the meet hosted by New Delhi reflective of "widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their desire to consult and coordinate with each other. India has an important role to play in this process." In a first, all central Asian countries will be present at the meet, not just countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan who share land border with Afghanistan. "The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India's role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan," sources explained. Also read | Taliban supreme leader Akhundzada issues a warning against infiltrators in the ranks For central Asian countries, concerns of a spillover from Afghanistan have been increasing, and they have been raising the matter in multiple ways. Last month, Russia hosted a meet on Afghanistan in which India was invited. The "Moscow format" meet on Afghanistan has been taking place for last few years and this was the first since the collapse of Afghan republic under President Ashraf Ghani. The meet comes months after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August. Since then, situation has deteriorated in the country and worries mounted over worsening humanitarian situation. In the past two meetings under the current NSA format has met in Iran, in September 2018 and December 2019. The third such meet was to take place in India but could not happen due to the coronavirus pandemic. Also read | UNICEF aiming to fund Afghan school teachers without giving money to Taliban: Report China has not yet responded to India's invite while Pakistan's NSA Mooed Yusuf has publicly announced he will not participate, terming India as "spoiler". Asked on Pakistan's decision, sources said, "Pakistan's decision is unfortunate, but not surprising. It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate. Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format", adding the "media comments against India are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in Afghanistan." Pakistan has also not yet responded to Indian proposal to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan via Wagha border. Islamabad has been backing Taliban to the hilt and working on at international floras to get the government under the grouping legitimacy. Pakistan Foreign Minister SM Qureshi had recently visited Kabul and engaged with top Taliban leadership.

Iran, Russia, Central Asia confirm presence at Delhi NSA meet on Afghanistan

Talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume on Nov. 29, the country's top nuclear negotiator said on Wednesday, as Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear advances grow.

Iran agrees to restart talks in Vienna over nuclear programme

In several areas of Afghanistan, Shia minorities are constantly attacked, and these horrific attacks and killings are paving the way for a major migration of the community to Iran.&nbsp;

Human Rights Watch reported&nbsp;that the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), an armed organisation connected with the Islamic State (ISIS), is committing crimes against humanity through bombings and other targeted assaults against Afghanistan's Shia religious minority.&nbsp;

Attacks against Shias have increased in regions that are not covered by the media.

Minorities, like as the Hazaras, are migrating to Iran.&nbsp; 
 
Watch | Gravitas Plus: The Shia-Sunni Divide: Understanding the split

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-the-shia-sunni-divide-understanding-the-split-421352/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The regional Islamic State group has been blamed for the majority of sectarian assaults against Shia civilians in recent years.

The group considers Shia Muslims to be non-Muslims, and has targeted them for assassination everywhere it operates, according to its extremist interpretation of Islam.

When the Taliban occupied Afghanistan in the 1990s, they oppressed the Hazara minority, who makes up the majority of the country's Shia, although they have not claimed any sectarian assaults in recent years.&nbsp;

Since at least 2015, when the Islamist armed organisation began attacking mosques, hospitals, schools, and other civilian facilities, especially in predominately Shia districts, the ISKP has presented a severe threat to Hazaras and other Afghan civilians.

At least 1,500 civilians have been murdered in these attacks, with thousands more injured, the majority of them are religious minorities.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In several areas of Afghanistan, Shia minorities are constantly attacked, and these horrific attacks and killings are paving the way for a major migration of the community to Iran.

In several areas of Afghanistan, Shia minorities are constantly attacked, and these horrific attacks and killings are paving the way for a major migration of the community to Iran. Human Rights Watch reported that the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), an armed organisation connected with the Islamic State (ISIS), is committing crimes against humanity through bombings and other targeted assaults against Afghanistan's Shia religious minority. Attacks against Shias have increased in regions that are not covered by the media. Minorities, like as the Hazaras, are migrating to Iran. Watch | Gravitas Plus: The Shia-Sunni Divide: Understanding the split The regional Islamic State group has been blamed for the majority of sectarian assaults against Shia civilians in recent years. The group considers Shia Muslims to be non-Muslims, and has targeted them for assassination everywhere it operates, according to its extremist interpretation of Islam. When the Taliban occupied Afghanistan in the 1990s, they oppressed the Hazara minority, who makes up the majority of the country's Shia, although they have not claimed any sectarian assaults in recent years. Since at least 2015, when the Islamist armed organisation began attacking mosques, hospitals, schools, and other civilian facilities, especially in predominately Shia districts, the ISKP has presented a severe threat to Hazaras and other Afghan civilians. At least 1,500 civilians have been murdered in these attacks, with thousands more injured, the majority of them are religious minorities. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghanistan: Attacks on Shia minority trigger mass exodus to Iran

Iran has agreed to resume talks with world powers on reviving a nuclear deal on 29 November after a five-month gap, with the US urging a quick resolution.

The announcement of indirect negotiations in Vienna comes as pressure mounts on Iran, with western nations warning that Tehran’s nuclear work is advancing to dangerous levels and Israel threatening to attack.

The EU envoy Enrique Mora, who led six rounds of talks earlier this year and recently flew to Tehran to seek progress, will again chair the 29 November meeting, the EU announced.

President Joe Biden took office hoping to return to the 2015 agreement from which his predecessor Donald Trump bolted. But the talks earlier this year failed to secure a breakthrough with Iran, which requested a pause after the June election of a new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi.

In Washington, state department spokesman Ned Price said the US believed it was possible to quickly resolve the “relatively small number of issues that remained outstanding at the end of June”.

“We believe that if the Iranians are serious, we can manage to do that in relatively short order,” Price told reporters.

“But we’ve also been clear, including as this pause has dragged on for some time, that this window of opportunity will not be open for ever.”

Trump slapped sweeping sanctions on Iran as he withdrew the US in 2018, leading Tehran to take steps out of compliance with the deal through which it had been drastically scaling back sensitive nuclear work.

Iran wants a lifting of all US sanctions but the Biden administration says that it will only negotiate about measures taken by Trump over the nuclear programme, such as a unilateral ban on oil sales, not steps imposed because of concerns such as human rights.

Iran also wants commitments that the United States will stay committed to the deal – an unlikely proposition in Washington, where Trump’s Republican party, emboldened by a state election win on Tuesday, fiercely opposes Biden’s diplomacy with Iran.

“The American president lacks authority and refuses to offer guarantees,” Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani, wrote on Twitter as the talks were announced.

“If that does not change, the result of the negotiations is already clear.”

The deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, Iran’s lead negotiator, confirmed the 29 November resumption of talks and said the goal would be “the removal of unlawful and inhumane sanctions”.

Adding to US frustrations, Iran has refused to meet directly with the US envoy, Robert Malley, so instead European mediators have to shuttle between hotels in Vienna.

Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia remain in the deal with Iran and will take part in the negotiations, the EU statement said.

European powers have increasingly voiced alarm at Iran’s nuclear work during the standstill in negotiations, warning that Tehran’s progress will be so advanced that a return to the agreement may be useless.

Iran has agreed to resume talks with world powers on reviving a nuclear deal on 29 November after a five-month gap, with the US urging a quick resolution. The announcement of indirect negotiations in Vienna comes as pressure mounts on Iran, with western nations warning that Tehran’s nuclear work is advancing to dangerous levels and Israel threatening to attack.

Iran has agreed to resume talks with world powers on reviving a nuclear deal on 29 November after a five-month gap, with the US urging a quick resolution. The announcement of indirect negotiations in Vienna comes as pressure mounts on Iran, with western nations warning that Tehran’s nuclear work is advancing to dangerous levels and Israel threatening to attack. The EU envoy Enrique Mora, who led six rounds of talks earlier this year and recently flew to Tehran to seek progress, will again chair the 29 November meeting, the EU announced. President Joe Biden took office hoping to return to the 2015 agreement from which his predecessor Donald Trump bolted. But the talks earlier this year failed to secure a breakthrough with Iran, which requested a pause after the June election of a new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi. In Washington, state department spokesman Ned Price said the US believed it was possible to quickly resolve the “relatively small number of issues that remained outstanding at the end of June”. “We believe that if the Iranians are serious, we can manage to do that in relatively short order,” Price told reporters. “But we’ve also been clear, including as this pause has dragged on for some time, that this window of opportunity will not be open for ever.” Trump slapped sweeping sanctions on Iran as he withdrew the US in 2018, leading Tehran to take steps out of compliance with the deal through which it had been drastically scaling back sensitive nuclear work. Iran wants a lifting of all US sanctions but the Biden administration says that it will only negotiate about measures taken by Trump over the nuclear programme, such as a unilateral ban on oil sales, not steps imposed because of concerns such as human rights. Iran also wants commitments that the United States will stay committed to the deal – an unlikely proposition in Washington, where Trump’s Republican party, emboldened by a state election win on Tuesday, fiercely opposes Biden’s diplomacy with Iran. “The American president lacks authority and refuses to offer guarantees,” Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani, wrote on Twitter as the talks were announced. “If that does not change, the result of the negotiations is already clear.” The deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, Iran’s lead negotiator, confirmed the 29 November resumption of talks and said the goal would be “the removal of unlawful and inhumane sanctions”. Adding to US frustrations, Iran has refused to meet directly with the US envoy, Robert Malley, so instead European mediators have to shuttle between hotels in Vienna. Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia remain in the deal with Iran and will take part in the negotiations, the EU statement said. European powers have increasingly voiced alarm at Iran’s nuclear work during the standstill in negotiations, warning that Tehran’s progress will be so advanced that a return to the agreement may be useless.

Iran sets date to resume talks on nuclear deal after five-month gap

&nbsp;Negotiations to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers will fail unless US&nbsp;President Joe Biden can guarantee that Washington will not again abandon the pact, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Wednesday.

"The US&nbsp;President, lacking authority, is not ready to give guarantees. If the current status quo continues, the result of negotiations is clear," Ali Shamkhani said in a tweet.

Iran is expected to give an exact date this week for the resumption of talks with the powers, scheduled for end of November according to Iranian top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ethiopia-declares-nationwide-emergency-as-insurgents-threaten-the-capital-426337">Ethiopia declares nationwide emergency as insurgents threaten the capital</a>

In April, Iran and six powers started talks in Vienna to reinstate the deal, which then-US&nbsp;President Donald Trump ditched three years ago before reimposing sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.

However, the talks were put on hold after Iran`s presidential election in June that brought anti-Western hardliner Ebrahim Raisi to power.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-doubts-alleged-us-determination-to-revive-nuke-deal-fm-425894">Also read |&nbsp;Iran doubts alleged US determination to revive nuke deal: FM</a>

A main disagreement in Vienna has been over Iran's requirement for the United States to give guarantees that it would not renege on the nuclear agreement in the future.

The United States and European powers have urged Iran to return to negotiations, warning that time is running out as the Islamic Republic's uranium enrichment programme is advancing well beyond the limits set by the nuclear pact.

In reaction to Trump's reimposition of sanctions, Tehran breached the deal by rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.

&nbsp;

Negotiations to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers will fail unless US President Joe Biden can guarantee that Washington will not again abandon the pact, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Wednesday.

Negotiations to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers will fail unless US President Joe Biden can guarantee that Washington will not again abandon the pact, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Wednesday. "The US President, lacking authority, is not ready to give guarantees. If the current status quo continues, the result of negotiations is clear," Ali Shamkhani said in a tweet. Iran is expected to give an exact date this week for the resumption of talks with the powers, scheduled for end of November according to Iranian top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani. Also Read | Ethiopia declares nationwide emergency as insurgents threaten the capital In April, Iran and six powers started talks in Vienna to reinstate the deal, which then-US President Donald Trump ditched three years ago before reimposing sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. However, the talks were put on hold after Iran`s presidential election in June that brought anti-Western hardliner Ebrahim Raisi to power. Also read | Iran doubts alleged US determination to revive nuke deal: FM A main disagreement in Vienna has been over Iran's requirement for the United States to give guarantees that it would not renege on the nuclear agreement in the future. The United States and European powers have urged Iran to return to negotiations, warning that time is running out as the Islamic Republic's uranium enrichment programme is advancing well beyond the limits set by the nuclear pact. In reaction to Trump's reimposition of sanctions, Tehran breached the deal by rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.

Iran warns nuclear talks would fail unless Biden provides guarantees

World leaders say Iran's nuclear programme, specially its uranium enrichment, is 'deeply concerning' as it has no civilian needs. Leaders of the world's biggest economies discussed Iran's nuclear programme at the G20 summit. U.S. President Joe Biden, outgoing German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met in Rome to discuss the future course of action white house issued a joint statement after the meet. VOA White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara brings in more on this.

World leaders discuss Iran's nuclear programme at the G20 summit

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has tested positive for COVID-19, the foreign ministry's spokesman said.

"His general condition is good and he continues working from quarantine," Saeed Khatibzadeh told state media late on Monday, adding that the minister's agenda of visits had changed.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-press-secretary-jen-psaki-tests-positive-for-covid-19-in-us-425740">White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tests positive for COVID-19 in US</a>

Earlier on Monday, the foreign ministry reported that Amirabdollahian was going to India by the end of November to attend a meeting at the Indo-Iranian Joint Economic Commission.

No further indication were made by Khatibzadeh on whether the foreign minister would be able to go to New Delhi this month.

The foreign minister of Iran does not take a direct part in negotiations over the resumption of a 2015 nuclear deal, which should resume by the end of this month.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has tested positive for COVID-19, the foreign ministry's spokesman said. "His general condition is good and he continues working from quarantine," Saeed Khatibzadeh told state media late on Monday, adding that the minister's agenda of visits had changed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has tested positive for COVID-19, the foreign ministry's spokesman said. "His general condition is good and he continues working from quarantine," Saeed Khatibzadeh told state media late on Monday, adding that the minister's agenda of visits had changed. Also Read | White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tests positive for COVID-19 in US Earlier on Monday, the foreign ministry reported that Amirabdollahian was going to India by the end of November to attend a meeting at the Indo-Iranian Joint Economic Commission. No further indication were made by Khatibzadeh on whether the foreign minister would be able to go to New Delhi this month. The foreign minister of Iran does not take a direct part in negotiations over the resumption of a 2015 nuclear deal, which should resume by the end of this month.

Iran's foreign minister tests positive for COVID-19

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has cast doubts on US President Joe Biden's alleged determination to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

"Mr. Biden postures as anti-Trump, but when he wants to talk about Iran, he is still carrying the same sanctions record with him, and so far he has not taken any practical steps to lift the sanctions," Xinhua news agency quoted Amir Abdollahian as saying in an interview.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nuclear-powered-submarines-for-australia-maybe-not-so-fast-424997">&nbsp;Nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? Maybe not so fast.</a>

On Saturday evening, Biden, along with the leaders of Germany, France and the UK, issued a joint statement after a meeting at the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, pointing to the American President's "clearly demonstrated commitment to return the US. to full compliance" with the nuclear agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The statement also affirmed Biden's commitment "to stay in full compliance, so long as Iran does the same", and called upon Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to "seize this opportunity and return to a good faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a matter of urgency".

"The problem is that we hear this will and intention from the Americans in their messages, but we do not see it in their behaviour," said Amir Abdollahian.

Biden, the Iranian Minister said, could immediately issue an executive order to take the US back to the point where his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018.

Amir Abdollahian also criticised Europeans for exerting pressure on Iran and demanding its return to the negotiating table while staying "inactive" and not pressuring the US to comply with its commitments under the deal.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/g20-summit-biden-macron-merkel-johnson-discuss-iran-deal-on-sidelines-425373">G20 Summit: Biden, Macron, Merkel, Johnson discuss Iran deal on sidelines</a>

In the interview, the Iranian top diplomatic chief reiterated ties with Iran's neighbours and Asian countries including China and Russia, as the priorities of the current Iranian government's foreign policy.

"We have explicitly stated that we will not tie the destiny of the people and the country to JCPOA or to any country in an absolute manner," the Minister noted.

Since the US abandoned the JCPOA, Iran`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has consistently urged government officials not to tie the solution of Iran`s economic difficulties to Washington`s will to lift the sanctions as stipulated by the deal.

Since May 2019, Iran has gradually stopped performing restrictions on its nuclear program, arguing that its reactions are allowed in the JCPOA in case of the counterparts'&nbsp;non-compliance and it would return to full compliance when sanctions are lifted.

After Biden took office in late January, Iran and the JCPOA Joint Commission held six rounds of talks in Austria's capital Vienna to revive the agreement between April and June, but the process was interrupted by the Iranian presidential election in June and subsequent transition of government.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has cast doubts on US President Joe Biden's alleged determination to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. "Mr.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has cast doubts on US President Joe Biden's alleged determination to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. "Mr. Biden postures as anti-Trump, but when he wants to talk about Iran, he is still carrying the same sanctions record with him, and so far he has not taken any practical steps to lift the sanctions," Xinhua news agency quoted Amir Abdollahian as saying in an interview. Also Read | Nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? Maybe not so fast. On Saturday evening, Biden, along with the leaders of Germany, France and the UK, issued a joint statement after a meeting at the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, pointing to the American President's "clearly demonstrated commitment to return the US. to full compliance" with the nuclear agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The statement also affirmed Biden's commitment "to stay in full compliance, so long as Iran does the same", and called upon Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to "seize this opportunity and return to a good faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a matter of urgency". "The problem is that we hear this will and intention from the Americans in their messages, but we do not see it in their behaviour," said Amir Abdollahian. Biden, the Iranian Minister said, could immediately issue an executive order to take the US back to the point where his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018. Amir Abdollahian also criticised Europeans for exerting pressure on Iran and demanding its return to the negotiating table while staying "inactive" and not pressuring the US to comply with its commitments under the deal. Also Read | G20 Summit: Biden, Macron, Merkel, Johnson discuss Iran deal on sidelines In the interview, the Iranian top diplomatic chief reiterated ties with Iran's neighbours and Asian countries including China and Russia, as the priorities of the current Iranian government's foreign policy. "We have explicitly stated that we will not tie the destiny of the people and the country to JCPOA or to any country in an absolute manner," the Minister noted. Since the US abandoned the JCPOA, Iran`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has consistently urged government officials not to tie the solution of Iran`s economic difficulties to Washington`s will to lift the sanctions as stipulated by the deal. Since May 2019, Iran has gradually stopped performing restrictions on its nuclear program, arguing that its reactions are allowed in the JCPOA in case of the counterparts' non-compliance and it would return to full compliance when sanctions are lifted. After Biden took office in late January, Iran and the JCPOA Joint Commission held six rounds of talks in Austria's capital Vienna to revive the agreement between April and June, but the process was interrupted by the Iranian presidential election in June and subsequent transition of government.

Iran doubts alleged US determination to revive nuke deal: FM

Middle East seems to have got embroiled into a tug-of-war between regional kingpins, Saudi Arabia and Iran, said analysts. This time the victim is financially-crippled Lebanon as Riyadh and other Gulf states expelled the envoy of the country. &nbsp; &nbsp;

On Friday, the crisis erupted when Saudi Arabia gave ambassador of Lebanon 48 hours to leave the country. It also recalled its envoy from Beirut and suspended all imports from Lebanon. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait also followed suit. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/car-explodes-at-the-entrance-of-yemens-aden-airport-casualties-reported-425389" hreflang="en">Car explodes at the entrance of Yemen's Aden airport; Casualties reported</a>

As per the Saudi foreign ministry, the measures were taken after a Lebanese minister made "insulting" remarks on the Yemen war. The root cause seems to be the influence of Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah. &nbsp;&nbsp;

It said, the group controls Lebanese ports and "hijacks" the government's decision-making in Beirut. &nbsp;&nbsp;

This is a fresh blow to Lebanon, which has been suffering financial and political turmoil at this time. The fragile government of the county is also struggling to secure international aid. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/g20-summit-biden-macron-merkel-johnson-discuss-iran-deal-on-sidelines-425373" hreflang="en">G20 Summit: Biden, Macron, Merkel, Johnson discuss Iran deal on sidelines</a>

In an interview recorded in August but aired on Monday, Information Minister Georges Kordahi slammed the Saudi-led military intervention against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Kordahi said the Huthis were "defending themselves... against an external aggression". The remarks sparked anger in Saudi Arabia and its allies, and calls for his resignation begun in Lebanon. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Middle East seems to have got embroiled into a tug-of-war between regional kingpins, Saudi Arabia and Iran, said analysts. This time the victim is financially-crippled Lebanon as Riyadh and other Gulf states expelled the envoy of the country.

Middle East seems to have got embroiled into a tug-of-war between regional kingpins, Saudi Arabia and Iran, said analysts. This time the victim is financially-crippled Lebanon as Riyadh and other Gulf states expelled the envoy of the country. On Friday, the crisis erupted when Saudi Arabia gave ambassador of Lebanon 48 hours to leave the country. It also recalled its envoy from Beirut and suspended all imports from Lebanon. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait also followed suit. Also Read: Car explodes at the entrance of Yemen's Aden airport; Casualties reported As per the Saudi foreign ministry, the measures were taken after a Lebanese minister made "insulting" remarks on the Yemen war. The root cause seems to be the influence of Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah. It said, the group controls Lebanese ports and "hijacks" the government's decision-making in Beirut. This is a fresh blow to Lebanon, which has been suffering financial and political turmoil at this time. The fragile government of the county is also struggling to secure international aid. Also Read | G20 Summit: Biden, Macron, Merkel, Johnson discuss Iran deal on sidelines In an interview recorded in August but aired on Monday, Information Minister Georges Kordahi slammed the Saudi-led military intervention against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. Kordahi said the Huthis were "defending themselves... against an external aggression". The remarks sparked anger in Saudi Arabia and its allies, and calls for his resignation begun in Lebanon. (With inputs from agencies)

Financially-crippled Lebanon gets entangled in Saudi-Iran tug-of-war

The US mounted pressure on Iran on Friday by slapping sanctions on Iranian drone programme. This move from US Treasury has come ahead of resumption of negotiations over country's nuclear programme.

US Treasury said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps have used lethal unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack US forces and international shipping in the Gulf region.

"The drones have also been supplied to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen's Houthis, and have also been seen in Ethiopia, "where the escalating crisis threatens to destabilize the broader region," the Treasury said.

The sanctions singled out Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, who leads the Revolutionary Guards' UAV Command.

The Treasury said that Aghajani was behind a 2019 drone attack on an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia as well as the July 29, 2021 attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman that saw two crewman killed.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-agrees-to-restart-nuclear-talks-as-pressure-grows-424842">Iran agrees to restart nuclear talks as pressure grows</a>

Also named to the sanctions blacklist were two companies, Kimia Part Sivan and Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar, which provide components for and help develop the armed UAVs of the Revolutionary Guards.

“Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.

“Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts," he said.

The sanctions came nine days after an attack on a US military base in Al-Tanf, Syria that involved drones.

The Pentagon has not identified the source of that incident, which did not cause any injuries, but says generally that Iran has provided drones for such attacks around the region.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dangerously-close-to-weapons-grade-iaea-warns-against-iranian-expansion-of-uranium-424009">'Dangerously close to weapons-grade': IAEA warns against Iranian expansion of uranium</a>

"We have seen these kinds of attacks in the past from -- from Shia militia groups, which we know are backed and supported by Iran," Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.

The sanctions were also announced just two days after Iran said it will resume talks with world powers in November on reviving a nuclear deal.

That commitment came after a five-month gap which saw mounting warnings that international patience was wearing thin with Tehran.

(With inputs from agencies)

The US mounted pressure on Iran on Friday by slapping sanctions on Iranian drone programme. This move from US Treasury has come ahead of resumption of negotiations over country's nuclear programme.

The US mounted pressure on Iran on Friday by slapping sanctions on Iranian drone programme. This move from US Treasury has come ahead of resumption of negotiations over country's nuclear programme. US Treasury said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps have used lethal unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack US forces and international shipping in the Gulf region. "The drones have also been supplied to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen's Houthis, and have also been seen in Ethiopia, "where the escalating crisis threatens to destabilize the broader region," the Treasury said. The sanctions singled out Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, who leads the Revolutionary Guards' UAV Command. The Treasury said that Aghajani was behind a 2019 drone attack on an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia as well as the July 29, 2021 attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman that saw two crewman killed. Also Read | Iran agrees to restart nuclear talks as pressure grows Also named to the sanctions blacklist were two companies, Kimia Part Sivan and Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar, which provide components for and help develop the armed UAVs of the Revolutionary Guards. “Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement. “Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts," he said. The sanctions came nine days after an attack on a US military base in Al-Tanf, Syria that involved drones. The Pentagon has not identified the source of that incident, which did not cause any injuries, but says generally that Iran has provided drones for such attacks around the region. Also Read | 'Dangerously close to weapons-grade': IAEA warns against Iranian expansion of uranium "We have seen these kinds of attacks in the past from -- from Shia militia groups, which we know are backed and supported by Iran," Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. The sanctions were also announced just two days after Iran said it will resume talks with world powers in November on reviving a nuclear deal. That commitment came after a five-month gap which saw mounting warnings that international patience was wearing thin with Tehran. (With inputs from agencies)

US slaps sanctions on Iran drone programme ahead of nuclear talks

Iran has agreed to resume talks with superpowers of the world after a gap of nearly about 5 months. The talks are expected to resume before the end of next month. The decision comes after Iran's FM met with European Union.

Iran to resume talks with superpowers of the world after 5 months

Iran said Wednesday it will resume talks with world powers in November on reviving a nuclear deal after a five-month gap in the face of mounting warnings that international patience was wearing thin.

Iran held six rounds of indirect negotiations in Vienna with President Joe Biden's administration on returning to the 2015 deal, but talks went on hiatus in June as a new hardline government took office in Tehran.

On a visit to Brussels, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said he saw progress in talks with European Union mediator Enrique Mora, who also went to Tehran earlier this month.

"We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week," Bagheri, who serves as Tehran's chief negotiator, wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;

He said he "had a very serious and constructive dialogue" with Mora "on the essential elements for successful negotiations."

The accord between Iran and six world powers to find a long-term solution to the crisis over its controversial nuclear programme has been moribund since former US president Donald Trump walked out in May 2018 and imposed sweeping sanctions.

Biden, his successor, has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement so long as Iran also returns to full compliance by rolling back nuclear activities that it undertook in response to Trump's sanctions.

The United States was cautious on Iran's announcement but said it believed only a "small number of issues" remained outstanding after the sixth round of talks in Vienna.

"We are prepared to return to Vienna, and we believe that it remains possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance," a State Department spokesperson said.

"As we have also been clear, this window will not remain open forever as Iran continues to take provocative nuclear steps, so we hope that they come to Vienna to negotiate quickly and in good faith."

One additional issue will be access for the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose chief, Rafael Grossi, negotiated only a short-term compromise when he visited Iran on September 12.

Growing warnings

Iran said it needed time after the election of President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner who succeeded the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, who had negotiated the deal with Barack Obama's administration in hopes of easing Iran's international isolation.

But the prolonged delay has prompted alarm -- even among European powers that criticized Trump for exiting the accord.

On a visit to Washington earlier in October, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid warned of military action against Iran, his country's sworn foe.

Israel is widely suspected in a sabotage campaign in Iran that has included the killings of nuclear scientists. On Tuesday, Iran blamed cyber attacks for disrupting its civilian fuel distribution network.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he backed diplomacy but also said the United States had "other options" if talks go nowhere.

Speaking Monday after talks with European and Arab allies, the US negotiator on Iran, Rob Malley, said that the Biden administration would always be open to diplomacy but that the accord, formally known as the JCPOA, had a shelf life.

"This is not a chronological clock; it's a technological clock. At some point, the JCPOA will have been so eroded because Iran would have made advances that cannot be reversed," Malley told reporters.

Malley has disputed criticism that the talks made no progress, saying there was broad understanding on most points in Vienna -- where European mediators shuttled between hotels as Iran declined to meet directly with the United States.

Iran says it wants a full lifting of sanctions, but the Biden team says the only ones on the table are those imposed by Trump over Iran's nuclear work.

Trump argued that the JCPOA did not address other concerns with Iran, such as its support for militants that fight US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, and vowed to bring Tehran to its knees through economic pressure.

Iran said Wednesday it will resume talks with world powers in November on reviving a nuclear deal after a five-month gap in the face of mounting warnings that international patience was wearing thin.

Iran said Wednesday it will resume talks with world powers in November on reviving a nuclear deal after a five-month gap in the face of mounting warnings that international patience was wearing thin. Iran held six rounds of indirect negotiations in Vienna with President Joe Biden's administration on returning to the 2015 deal, but talks went on hiatus in June as a new hardline government took office in Tehran. On a visit to Brussels, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said he saw progress in talks with European Union mediator Enrique Mora, who also went to Tehran earlier this month. "We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week," Bagheri, who serves as Tehran's chief negotiator, wrote on Twitter. He said he "had a very serious and constructive dialogue" with Mora "on the essential elements for successful negotiations." The accord between Iran and six world powers to find a long-term solution to the crisis over its controversial nuclear programme has been moribund since former US president Donald Trump walked out in May 2018 and imposed sweeping sanctions. Biden, his successor, has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement so long as Iran also returns to full compliance by rolling back nuclear activities that it undertook in response to Trump's sanctions. The United States was cautious on Iran's announcement but said it believed only a "small number of issues" remained outstanding after the sixth round of talks in Vienna. "We are prepared to return to Vienna, and we believe that it remains possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance," a State Department spokesperson said. "As we have also been clear, this window will not remain open forever as Iran continues to take provocative nuclear steps, so we hope that they come to Vienna to negotiate quickly and in good faith." One additional issue will be access for the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose chief, Rafael Grossi, negotiated only a short-term compromise when he visited Iran on September 12. Growing warnings Iran said it needed time after the election of President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner who succeeded the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, who had negotiated the deal with Barack Obama's administration in hopes of easing Iran's international isolation. But the prolonged delay has prompted alarm -- even among European powers that criticized Trump for exiting the accord. On a visit to Washington earlier in October, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid warned of military action against Iran, his country's sworn foe. Israel is widely suspected in a sabotage campaign in Iran that has included the killings of nuclear scientists. On Tuesday, Iran blamed cyber attacks for disrupting its civilian fuel distribution network. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he backed diplomacy but also said the United States had "other options" if talks go nowhere. Speaking Monday after talks with European and Arab allies, the US negotiator on Iran, Rob Malley, said that the Biden administration would always be open to diplomacy but that the accord, formally known as the JCPOA, had a shelf life. "This is not a chronological clock; it's a technological clock. At some point, the JCPOA will have been so eroded because Iran would have made advances that cannot be reversed," Malley told reporters. Malley has disputed criticism that the talks made no progress, saying there was broad understanding on most points in Vienna -- where European mediators shuttled between hotels as Iran declined to meet directly with the United States. Iran says it wants a full lifting of sanctions, but the Biden team says the only ones on the table are those imposed by Trump over Iran's nuclear work. Trump argued that the JCPOA did not address other concerns with Iran, such as its support for militants that fight US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, and vowed to bring Tehran to its knees through economic pressure.

Iran agrees to restart nuclear talks as pressure grows

Iran’s foreign minister and the country’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, has said that Tehran will resume talks next month with world powers over its 2015 nuclear deal.

Kani confirmed the talks after meeting with European officials in Brussels on Wednesday, saying the exact date will be announced next week.

The other participants in the talks —which included indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran —still need to confirm their participation.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-wants-to-rejoin-iran-nuclear-deal-but-it-wont-be-easy-343936">Biden wants to rejoin Iran nuclear deal, but it won’t be easy</a>

“We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week,” Bagheri wrote on Twitter.

The talks that were held in Vienna broke off in June at the time of the Iranian presidential elections.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-to-launch-arak-nuclear-research-reactor-within-a-year-418149">&nbsp;Iran to launch Arak nuclear research reactor 'within a year'</a>

The new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi has been under pressure from allies including&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;to return to the talks.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
had a very serious &amp; constructive dialogue with <a href="https://twitter.com/enriquemora_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@enriquemora_</a> on the essential elements for successful negotiations. 
We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week. <a href="https://t.co/0A7BOPZh8f">https://t.co/0A7BOPZh8f</a>
— علی باقری‌کنی (@Bagheri_Kani) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bagheri_Kani/status/1453368358645207046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The agreement between Iran and world powers to find a long-term solution to the crisis over its controversial nuclear programme has been suspended since former US president Donald Trump walked out of the deal in May 2018 and imposed a series of sanctions.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-britain-and-germany-regret-us-end-to-iran-nuclear-waivers-301999">France, Britain and Germany regret US end to Iran nuclear waivers</a>

His successor Joe Biden has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement, as long as Iran meets key preconditions including full compliance with the deal whose terms it has repeatedly violated by ramping up nuclear activities since the US left the pact.

Another issue is that Iran continues to push for guarantees that the US and European powers won’t renege on their commitments in the future.

There was also some controversy over in what format Iranian officials wanted to meet with their European counterparts prior to the Vienna negotiations.

The EU acts as a coordinator for the deal that also involves Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)

Iran’s foreign minister and the country’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, has said that Tehran will resume talks next month with world powers over its 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran’s foreign minister and the country’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, has said that Tehran will resume talks next month with world powers over its 2015 nuclear deal. Kani confirmed the talks after meeting with European officials in Brussels on Wednesday, saying the exact date will be announced next week. The other participants in the talks —which included indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran —still need to confirm their participation. Also read | Biden wants to rejoin Iran nuclear deal, but it won’t be easy “We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week,” Bagheri wrote on Twitter. The talks that were held in Vienna broke off in June at the time of the Iranian presidential elections. Also read | Iran to launch Arak nuclear research reactor 'within a year' The new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi has been under pressure from allies including Russia to return to the talks. had a very serious & constructive dialogue with @enriquemora_ on the essential elements for successful negotiations. We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week. https://t.co/0A7BOPZh8f — علی باقری‌کنی (@Bagheri_Kani) October 27, 2021 × The agreement between Iran and world powers to find a long-term solution to the crisis over its controversial nuclear programme has been suspended since former US president Donald Trump walked out of the deal in May 2018 and imposed a series of sanctions. Also read | France, Britain and Germany regret US end to Iran nuclear waivers His successor Joe Biden has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement, as long as Iran meets key preconditions including full compliance with the deal whose terms it has repeatedly violated by ramping up nuclear activities since the US left the pact. Another issue is that Iran continues to push for guarantees that the US and European powers won’t renege on their commitments in the future. There was also some controversy over in what format Iranian officials wanted to meet with their European counterparts prior to the Vienna negotiations. The EU acts as a coordinator for the deal that also involves Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran agrees to restart negotiations on 2015 nuclear deal by November-end

Iran is all set to host the second round of foreign ministers' meet on Afghanistan, on Wednesday. Foreign ministers from regional neighbours of Afghan including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and China besides hosts Iran and Russia are going to be present at the meeting.

Iran to host second round of foreign ministers' meet on Afghanistan

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