Iran says Army Ground Forces ready for international peacekeeping missions

Gholamreza Ebdali, director general of the Wildlife Conservation Office at Iran’s Department of Environment, said the three-month-old cub has been spotted at multiple locations within the 225-hectare park, but has not yet been captured.

“We are certain the cub is alive. We’ve seen tracks in three or four places inside the park,” Ebdalitold IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, ruling out speculation he had been stolen.

“But because it is small and the park is full of trees and undergrowth, it can easily hide.”

The bear cub, weighing around three kilograms, went missing in the early hours of Thursday, May 29, after reportedly escaping during a routine procedure involving other rescued animals recently brought to the park’s clinic.

Thermal night vision cameras and live traps have been deployed in the search, but the presence of other animals, such as stray cats, has complicated efforts. “Despite the use of night vision and heat-sensing cameras, we haven’t had success yet,” he said.

Authorities believe the cub is surviving by feeding on seasonal fruits in the park, such as mulberries and apricots. “It’s no longer dependent on milk and can feed on available fruits, so we are not worried about its nutrition,” Ebdali added.

The missing bear is one of two cubs found last month in the southern province of Fars. Their mother had been killed by a poacher and her body was discovered in the Abraj region of Marvdasht.

The orphaned cubs were transferred to the Pardisan wildlife clinic late in May for rehabilitation and eventual release back into the wild.

Following the escape, park access was temporarily restricted during early search operations, but has since reopened to the public.

Environmental officials say the search will continue until the cub is safely recovered.

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"Nine of the injured were promptly transferred to hospitals in Shiraz and Zarqan with the help of emergency response teams," said Hojjatollah Rezaei, the deputy governor of Fars for political and security affairs.

He said the injured workers are fortunately in stable condition.

“The two victims suffered severe inhalation of hazardous substances, which led to suffocation and ultimately cost them their lives,” Rezaei confirmed.

The Shiraz refinery is operating without interruption, the official said, adding that an investigation into the cause of the incident is currently underway.

The Shiraz Refinery (also known as SORC) is a crude oil refinery located on the Shiraz-Isfahan road. It is designed to process 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day, equivalent to 2 million tons per year.

The required crude oil feed is supplied via a 230-kilometer, 10-inch pipeline from the Gachsaran oil fields.

Details of the UN nuclear watchdog's report were released by Reuters earlier in the day, at a delicate moment as Tehran and Washington have engaged in multiple rounds of negotiations in recent weeks over a potential nuclear agreement that US President Donald Trump is seeking to finalize.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) accused IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi of "repeating groundless accusations based on forged documents provided by the Zionist regime (Israel)."

“The allegations raised by the IAEA are based on claims regarding a handful of undeclared activities and locations from decades ago,” the statement read. “Iran has repeatedly declared that it has never had any undeclared nuclear site or activity.”

In 2018, Israel officially claimed responsibility for the theft of Iran's nuclear documents from a warehouse in Tehran's Shourabad area – with Benjamin Netanyahu revealing that Israel had obtained 55,000 pages and 55,000 digital files through an intelligence operation.

Iran's Saturday statement condemned what it called the IAEA’s double standards regarding Israel. “The report relies on unverified information from a regime that is not even a party to the NPT, possesses nuclear weapons, and openly threatens Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities"

The statement also criticized the IAEA's report for failing to accurately reflect Iran’s cooperation with the Agency. “Despite acknowledging Iran’s cooperation, the report does not portray the real level of engagement. Iran has provided access, allowed sampling, and offered extensive explanations on the sites in question."

Tehran accused Western powers of exploiting the Agency for political ends. “The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany have repeatedly violated their commitments under the JCPOA and Resolution 2231. At the same time, they continue to impose illegal sanctions and pressure Iran in violation of international law.”

Sharp rise in highly enriched uranium stockpiles

The IAEA, in a separate report sent to member states on Saturday, revealed a sharp rise in Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. As of May 17, Iran held 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, an increase of 133.8 kilograms since February, the report said. Material enriched to that level is a short technical step from weapons-grade purity.

The Iranian government on Saturday stressed the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and reaffirmed its intention to continue working with the Agency within the framework of its legal obligations.

“Iran’s enrichment program is exclusively for peaceful purposes, under full IAEA oversight and in line with the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement,” the statement added.

Iran warned that any attempt to use the report against it during the upcoming Board of Governors meeting would trigger a response.

“Should some states misuse the report or Iran’s transparent cooperation to increase pressure, the Islamic Republic will take appropriate measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests,” the statement said.

“These three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s,” the report said, adding that “some activities used undeclared nuclear material.”

The report comes at a delicate moment, as Tehran and Washington have engaged in multiple rounds of negotiations in recent weeks over a potential nuclear agreement that US President Donald Trump is seeking to finalize.

The document, obtained by Reuters, was prepared following a November request by the IAEA’s Board of Governors.

UN nuclear agency flags sharp rise in Iran’s high-level uranium

The IAEA, in a separate report sent to member states on Saturday, said a sharp rise in Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. As of May 17, Iran held 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, an increase of 133.8 kilograms since February. Material enriched to that level is a short technical step from weapons-grade purity.

“Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching to this level,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has repeatedly said. On Saturday, he again urged Iran to cooperate “fully and effectively with the agency.”

Both IAEA reports said Iran’s high-level enrichment was “of serious concern,” noting it is the only country enriching to that level without having nuclear weapons.

Western powers move toward censure

Western governments are also preparing a resolution that would formally declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation commitments for the first time since 2005. Reuters cited diplomats on Friday as saying the United States will lead the drafting of the motion, to be submitted at the board’s quarterly meeting beginning June 9.

“We expect the comprehensive report to be tough, but there were already no doubts over Iran not keeping its non-proliferation commitments,” a European official told Reuters.

The last time the IAEA board took such action, in 2005, it led to Iran’s referral to the UN Security Council and triggered a round of international sanctions.

“Talk of zero enrichment is mostly for the Zionist community,” Atomic Energy Organization head Mohammad Eslami said during a visit to northern Iran. “These are rumors with no bearing on the realities of the talks.”

The fifth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington took place last week in Rome, part of ongoing efforts mediated by Oman since April.

Eslami said Iran remains committed to expanding its nuclear energy program, including new reactors and domestic production of radiopharmaceuticals. He emphasized that the program is peaceful and transparent, despite what he called foreign pressure.

Tehran signals no retreat on enrichment

Echoing that stance, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier on Saturday that uranium enrichment has always been a red line for Iran. “The right to enrichment is tied to rejecting domination — no one in Iran will accept being told we don’t have this right,” he said during a visit to Ruhollah Khomeini's mausoleum. Araghchi added that Tehran has consistently upheld its position in both past and present negotiations.

Araghchi also repeated that Iran considers nuclear weapons religiously and strategically unacceptable. “We’ve always been a standard-bearer of nuclear disarmament,” he said, accusing Western nuclear states of failing to uphold their obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

MPs say enrichment is non-negotiable

In parliament, lawmakers are voicing firm support for the government’s nuclear position. “The negotiating team has moved forward well within the defined red lines,” said Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security and foreign policy committee. “Enrichment is a foundational right — we’ve never negotiated over the principle of enrichment, and we won’t.”

Mehdi Esmaeili, a conservative MP from Miyaneh, also warned that “external pressure will never force Iran to retreat from its rights.” He said Iran’s pursuit of a full nuclear fuel cycle is “a strategic goal of the revolution” and rooted in national consensus.

Trump: Iran deal could happen soon

At the White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he believed a deal with Iran could be reached “in the not-too-distant future.” He argued that Iran “does not want to be blown up” and would prefer to resolve the standoff diplomatically.

“If we can have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East, that would be a very good thing,” Trump told reporters. “We want them to have a successful, safe nation — but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. And I think we’re fairly close.”