Iran signals interest in a peaceful nuclear deal with US, but security stance stays firm
Eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance a vote to end the 40-day government shutdown, citing harm to families, federal workers, and programs like SNAP. Senators Tim Kaine, Jeanne Shaheen, and Dick Durbin said their party’s strategy was not working and the shutdown had gone on too long. The deal could restore funding through next September. Lawmakers emphasized back pay for workers and quick reopening of federal services.
Iran has said it is open to reaching a “peaceful” nuclear agreement with the United States, as long as the country’s national security is protected. The statement came from Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, during the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate on Tuesday.
For years, the U.S. and some European countries, along with Israel have accused Iran of using its nuclear program to move closer to developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies this and says its nuclear work is only for energy and medical use.
Khatibzadeh said the U.S. is sending “contradictory messages” through third party countries when it comes to nuclear negotiations. He also said that diplomacy was disrupted after the June conflict between Iran and Israel, which involved U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.Talks were held earlier this year, but they stopped after this June.
A major gap between both sides remains over uranium enrichment. The U.S. wants Iran to stop enrichment on its own land, to remove any possible path toward weaponization. Iran has rejected that demand, saying it will not trade away its security or scientific progress.
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country will not negotiate “under threat.” He repeated that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons. “We are very proud of our home-grown nuclear program,” Khatibzadeh said. His remarks were also reported by Reuters journalists Samia Nakhoul and Parisa Hafezi.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in October that the U.S. would be willing to make a deal when Iran is ready, saying “the hand of friendship is open.” For now, both sides say they want diplomacy, but neither side is moving first. The situation remains tense, and more talks have not yet been scheduled.