DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

NEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A detainee swap that secured the release of five Americans held in Iran on Monday does not change Washington's adversarial relationship with Tehran, although the door remains open for diplomacy over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, a senior administration official said. Even so, they said the door for diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program was not entirely shut. It was unclear if the official meant to deny any indirect talks, or if he was deliberately leaving the door open for them. After taking office in January 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden tried to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S., European Union and U.N. sanctions. However, earlier this year Washington and Tehran began exploring what analysts describe as "understandings" - which Washington has never acknowledged - to lower tensions over nuclear and other issues.

Persons: Washington, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Humeyra Pamuk, Stephen Coates Organizations: Biden, The U.S, United Nations General Assembly, Union, U.S, Republican, Iran, Thomson Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Qatar, The, Yemen, New York, U.S, Washington, South Korea, Doha

The Iranian and U.S. flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The United States waived sanctions to allow the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar, a step needed to carry out a previously announced U.S.-Iran prisoner swap, according to a U.S. document seen by Reuters on Monday. According to the State Department document seen by Reuters, Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that waiving the sanctions was in the national security interests of the United States. The document said the transfer of funds would only provide "limited benefit to Iran" since the funds can only be used for humanitarian trade. The transfer of the $6 billion and the prisoner exchange could take place as early as next week, according to eight Iranian and other sources familiar with the negotiations.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Antony Blinken, Adrienne Watson, Humeyra Pamuk, Jeff Mason, Arshad Mohammed, Jonathan Oatis, Sandra Maler, Deepa Babington, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Iranian, REUTERS, Rights, United, Reuters, State Department, United State, National Iranian Oil Company, Central Bank of, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, South Korea, Qatar, Iran, Republic of Korea, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Central Bank of Iran

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he could not confirm a report that Iran slowed its pace of amassing near-weapons-grade enriched uranium but would welcome any Iranian steps to de-escalate its "growing nuclear threat." On Thursday, sources said Iran may free five detained U.S. citizens as part of a deal to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea. Iran allowed four detained U.S. citizens to move into house arrest from prison. "Of course, we would welcome any steps that Iran takes to actually deescalate the growing nuclear threat that it has posed since the United States got out of the Iran nuclear deal," Blinken told a news conference, alluding to former U.S. President Donald Trump's 2018 abandonment of that agreement. Blinken emphasized that the agreement included U.S. citizens who have all been designated as wrongfully detained and said Washington would continue to examine other cases.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Donald Trump's, Roya Hakakian, Sherry Hakimi, Nazanin Boniadi, Leah Millis, Iran's, I'm, Shahab Dalili, Biden, Dalili, we're, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Arshad Mohammed, Daphne Psaledakis, Josie Kao Organizations: U.S, Union and United Nations, Iranian, U.S . State Department, REUTERS, State Department, Thomson Locations: Iran, U.S, South Korea, United States, American, Iranian, Washington , U.S, Washington

"We are seeing that now with the provision of (drones) to Russia." Ukraine says Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones that cruise toward their target and explode on impact. Tehran denies supplying the drones to Moscow - an assertion Washington says is untrue - and Russia has denied its forces used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine. If such a resolution is not adopted by the deadline, all U.N. sanctions in place before the nuclear deal would be automatically reimposed. "Snapback" would also likely kill off efforts to revive the 2015 deal, which then-U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned and which his successor Joe Biden has sought to resurrect.

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The United States agrees with British and French assessments that Iran supplying drones to Russia would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers, U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on Monday. Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented. White House spokesperson Karinne Jean-Pierre also accused Tehran of lying when it says Iranian drones are not being used by Russia in Ukraine. Resolution 2231 endorsed the deal between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States that limited Tehran's uranium enrichment activity, making it harder for Iran to develop nuclear arms while lifting international sanctions. "It is our belief that these UAVs that are transferred from Iran to Russia and used by Russia in Ukraine are among the weapons that would remain embargoed under 2231," Patel said.

Search resuls for: "Humeyra Pamuk Arshad Mohammed"

5 mentions found