Reuters says Iran may agree to pause enrichment temporarily

Israel on Thursday rejected a report in the New York Times that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening to disrupt talks on a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran by striking Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities.

Netanyahu's office issued a statement in response to the article which said simply: "Fake news."

The New York Times has responded by saying it stood by the report, according to Reuters.

"The New York Times reporting on this matter is thorough and based on discussions with people directly familiar with the matter. We remain confident in what we published," Reuters reported citing a written statement from the paper

“Some have tried to prove that corruption in the Islamic Republic is systemic. That is a lie,” Khamenei said. “Corruption is like a seven-headed dragon that won’t vanish easily, but the system itself is healthy.”

Addressing provincial governors in Tehran, he called on people in power to avoid conflicts of interest and personal business ventures, saying corrupt officials face double divine punishment.

His remarks follow a withering speech by US President Donald Trump in Riyadh this month in which he accused Iran’s leadership of theft and mismanagement.

"Iran's leaders have focused on stealing their people's wealth to fund terror and bloodshed abroad. Most tragic of all, they have dragged down an entire region with them," Trump said.

The latest Corruption Perceptions Index from watchdog Transparency International ranks Iran 151 out of 180 countries in terms of public sector corruption.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to Trump last week in a speech to parliament, accusing the US of hypocrisy and exploitation.

“The master thieves of the planet who rob every country now accuse others,” he said. “They came here to plunder.”

The Supreme Leader's remarks come as nearly daily protests linger across Iran.

Union members from the trucking, baking and other sectors are coordinating in ongoing nationwide strikes while pensioners have held scattered demonstrations over unpaid benefits in recent days.

Almost a third of Iranians struggle to afford basic necessities and millions live below the poverty line amid sharply rising inflation and stagnant wages.

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi says any deal between Iran and the US should include "very robust" inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"My impression is that if you have that type of agreement, a solid, very robust inspection by the IAEA ... should be a prerequisite, and I'm sure it will be, because it would imply a very, very serious commitment on the part of Iran, which must be verified," Grossi told reporters on Wednesday.

When asked about the differences between Tehran and Washington, especially on the matter of Iran's domestic enrichment program, he said: ""I think there's always a way ... It's not impossible to reconcile the two points of view."

A top Iranian military official said on Wednesday that Iran’s armed forces remain united and capable of defeating any adversary, drawing on lessons from a key battle in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.

“With lessons from Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas, we will rub the nose of any enemy in the dirt,” said Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, deputy coordinator and chief of staff of Iran’s army, in remarks carried by Iranian media.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Iran’s recapture of the city of Khorramshahr during the war, Sayyari said unity among Iran’s armed forces had repeatedly foiled enemy strategies.

He said the 1982 Beit-ol-Moqaddas operation showed the world Iran’s military capability, adding that “no expert believed Iran could retake Khorramshahr under those conditions.”

Iran welcomes dialogue but remains firm on maintaining its nuclear independence and fuel enrichment capabilities, the country’s top security official said on Wednesday at a high-level international security summit in Moscow.

Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told delegates at the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues that Tehran insists on preserving its nuclear fuel cycle and enrichment as an inalienable right.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports negotiations but will not compromise on its nuclear sovereignty,” Ahmadian said.