Iran rejects Reuters report on Saudi message regarding nuclear deal
Iran's foreign ministry has dismissed a Reuters report that said Saudi Arabia urged Tehran to engage in nuclear negotiations with the United States to avert a potential Israeli military strike.
The Reuters report said that during an April visit to Tehran, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman conveyed a message from King Salman bin Abdulaziz, advising Iranian officials to consider US President Donald Trump's offer for nuclear talks seriously.
The report suggested that failure to engage could increase the risk of an Israeli attack.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, on Friday dismissed the Reuters report as “baseless.”
As the UN nuclear watchdog prepares to release a comprehensive report on Iran’s nuclear program, the Wall Street Journal reports there has been no progress in resolving key disputes with Tehran, and that it may be stepping up its accumulation of highly enriched uranium.
“I’m hearing of zero progress with Iran,” Wall Street Journal reporter Laurence Norman posted on X. “No advance on safeguards. Iran sticking to its old lines on the material found. And get the sense it’s full steam ahead on faster HEU accumulation.”
He added that the information is not confirmed but reflects what he is picking up.
Iran is conducting increasingly hostile intelligence operations targeting Finland, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) told public broadcaster Yle in comments published Friday.
For the first time, Supo officially named Iran as one of the states actively spying on Finland, alongside Russia and China. The agency did not specify what kind of information Iran seeks but cited a broader rise in espionage threats.
Supo noted that Iran's tactics could include recruiting organized crime groups to carry out operations in Finland—an approach it described as part of Tehran’s use of proxy actors to obscure its involvement. The agency did not provide details on what kinds of acts might be involved but said similar Iranian-linked plots have been uncovered elsewhere in Europe.
Iranian surveillance targets exiles abroad
The agency also warned of surveillance targeting members of exiled opposition groups and other individuals viewed by Tehran as threats, often using personal data collection and pressure on family members abroad.
Supo said Iran’s actions reflect deteriorating relations with Western countries and highlighted that the threat is growing in other Nordic countries as well.
Sweden previously flagged similar threats from Tehran
The warning from Supo comes amid similar concerns raised by Sweden earlier this year. In its March annual threat assessment, the Swedish Security Police (SAPO) said Iran had escalated its intelligence activities and was increasingly using criminal networks within Sweden to suppress opposition and target perceived threats — including Israeli-linked groups. SAPO also reported efforts by Tehran to acquire sensitive dual-use technologies to bypass international sanctions and support weapons programs.
At the time, SAPO accused Iran of using a Shiite mosque in Stockholm for surveillance operations and warned that the security situation could deteriorate in unpredictable ways. That assessment followed a major diplomatic crisis last year, which ended in a prisoner swap between Stockholm and Tehran.
Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, the Friday prayer Imam in the city of Qom, said the Iranian government, nation and Supreme Leader would not allow uranium enrichment to be halted, regardless of US demands.
“The fifth round of negotiations has ended. We are neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic. The Americans say they won’t allow Iran to continue enrichment. But we say clearly to the people: our government, our nation and our dear leader will not allow enrichment to stop in this country,” he said, according to Iranian media.
The remarks follow comments by US officials that any final agreement with Iran would require an end to enrichment. Iranian officials have continued to describe enrichment as a non-negotiable right.
A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that Tehran has submitted its demands in writing three times during indirect nuclear negotiations but has yet to receive a response from the other side.
“We have submitted our demands to the other side in writing three times, but we have not received any response so far,” Ahmad Motahhari Asl, Friday prayer Imam of Tabriz, said during his weekly sermon, according to the state-affiliated ISNA news agency.
Motahhari emphasized that talks are limited to nuclear issues, adding that Iran will not negotiate over its regional or defense policies.
US Congressman Mike Lawler said on Friday that leaders in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are open to the Trump administration’s push for a new nuclear agreement with Iran, but remain skeptical that Tehran will dismantle its program.
Lawler, a Republican from New York, returned from meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Jordanian King Abdullah II. He told Jewish Insider that regional officials expressed cautious optimism about negotiations but were realistic about the challenges, citing Iran’s past behavior in previous rounds of talks.
“I think folks are realistic about the prospects of Iran coming to an agreement,” Lawler said, adding that regional leaders are interested in avoiding conflict but remain firm in the view that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
Lawler, who has sponsored multiple Iran-related sanctions bills in the House of Representatives, said his focus remains on maintaining pressure on Tehran. He also noted that any future sanctions relief should be conditional on Iran ending its support for terrorism and other destabilizing activities.
The congressman said he believes the Trump administration would support a coordinated response with Israel if negotiations fail, although he emphasized that diplomacy remains the preferred course at this stage.
