Time for Iran's return to nuclear talks, US ambassador to NATO says

“As the president has said, the Iranian people stand to benefit from negotiating in good faith. The ball is in their court,” said Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the US State Department. “The Iranian leadership has a window of opportunity to choose a path of peace and prosperity for their people.”

Bruce told reporters Tuesday that Washington is “also ready to talk directly to the Iranians,” while coordinating closely with its E3 partners—Britain, France and Germany.

Bruce's remarks come ahead of Friday’s meeting in Istanbul, where the E3 will meet directly with Iranian diplomats at the deputy foreign minister level to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions measures.

“The topic of the talks is clear, lifting sanctions and issues related to the peaceful nuclear program of Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in his weekly briefing.

Speaking on Fox News ahead of the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will not abandon its nuclear program—including uranium enrichment—despite “severe” damage from recent US strikes.

“Our enrichment is so dear to us,” he said. “Obviously we cannot give up our enrichment, because it is an achievement of our own scientists and now more than that, it is a question of national pride," Araghchi told Fox News.

“We saw that 120 to 150 rocket launchers exploded the moment they were activated, and Iran’s entire air defense system was hacked,” Saeed Leilaz told Eqtesad Online in an interview published Tuesday.

The assertion was a rare detailed account of specific military and intelligence failures in Iran's heavily controlled media.

A former US intelligence officer told Iran International that figures disclosed publicly are often understated, suggesting the level of Israeli penetration and infiltration could be even deeper.

“When someone says it's between 120 and 150, that's huge — but the real number could be significantly higher,” said Michael Pregent, an independent analyst.

Leilaz criticized Iran’s unpreparedness for what he described as a multi-layered surprise attack by Israel, saying the breach exposed deep and widespread security failures.

"I no longer trust any military or security personnel — whether from the Revolutionary Guards, the Ministry of Intelligence, or the army — unless proven otherwise,” he said.

“From a security standpoint, it can easily be said that the Islamic Republic of Iran was brought to its knees,” Leilaz added.

During the war, Israel killed several senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and IRGC Deputy for Operations Mehdi Rabbani.

Asked whether Iran could recover its air defense system following the widespread hacking Leilaz described, Pregent was doubtful.

“The systems they’re using are Russian. Israel already knows how to hack them and conduct cyberattacks to infiltrate, manipulate data and disable defense assets,” he said.

“If Iran is trying to replenish its air defense systems and return to its previous capacity, it’s basically reinstalling the same system — one that Israel can take down again.”

Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks during the 12-day war killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes killed 27 Israeli civilians.

According to an Iranian government spokesperson, 1,062 Iranians were killed during the conflict, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians.

Leilaz also criticized the Islamic Republic’s approach to possible negotiations with the United States, urging the government to first negotiate with its own people.

“During the 12-day war, despite being disillusioned with the ruling system, the Iranian people quietly rose up to defend the country’s territorial integrity. That means there is still room for reconciliation between the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic,” Leilaz said.

The White House said on Monday that the Trump administration remains open to talks with Tehran, as Iran prepares to meet with European allies for a new round of nuclear negotiations on Friday.

The Miaan Group, a Texas-based digital rights organization, was cited by Bloomberg as saying several Iranians—both inside the country and abroad—received cyber threat notifications from Apple in early 2025.

Victims included two dissidents in Iran and a Europe-based Iranian tech expert. The group believes the number of those affected is likely far higher.

Hamid Kashfi, a Sweden-based cybersecurity researcher and founder of DarkCell, said he identified 12 additional victims—all located inside Iran and working in the tech sector or for government-linked institutions.

According to Bloomberg, Apple characterized the attacks as “exceptionally rare” and costing “millions of dollars,” warning targets that the spyware campaign likely focused on them “because of who you are or what you do.”

The notification compared the operation’s sophistication to Pegasus, the Israeli-made spyware used in state-level cyber-espionage which was revealed by activists and journalists in 2021. Tehran has also frequently deployed international cyber-attacks.

Kashfi said the attacks likely involved “zero-day, zero-click” exploits—techniques that require no user interaction and leverage undiscovered vulnerabilities.

“Zero-click chains are more sophisticated, more expensive, one stage higher than typical hacking campaigns,” he told Bloomberg. “But they weren’t shy about using it and burning it.”

Full forensic examinations were often not possible, either because of access limitations or victims choosing to submit their phones to Iranian authorities rather than independent experts, Bloomberg reported.

It was believed to be the first time such high-grade spyware has been deployed both inside Iran and against members of the Iranian diaspora. The actor behind the operation remains unknown.

Both Kashfi and Miaan declined to reveal the identities of those targeted, citing safety concerns.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which led the suborbital launch of the Qased satellite carrier on Monday, heralded the test as a feat of Iran's space program.

But the timing so soon after Iran's clash with its Mideast arch-nemesis suggests broader goals. Analysts say the launch is part of a deliberate effort to project strength and technological progress in the face of mounting pressure.

“Not only is Iran enhancing its capabilities, but it is also sending a loud political message,” said Sina Azodi, an Assistant Professor of Middle East politics at the Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington DC.

The test, he said, allows Iran to build experience with ballistic missile-related technologies without crossing thresholds that could trigger direct military or diplomatic retaliation.

That balancing act—asserting strength while avoiding escalation—is a hallmark of Iran’s strategy, according to defense experts.

Andrew Fox, a former British Army officer and senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, said the launch reflects Iran’s continued determination to pursue long-term military objectives despite recent setbacks.

“Once again we can see the regime trying to keep its options alive through the back door,” Fox told Iran International.

From orbit to arsenal?

Israel's military said it knocked out scores of Iranian missile launchers during its campaign and that Tehran's stocks were badly depleted.

The Qased uses technology similar to that found in ballistic missiles, and Iran’s space program has been criticized by Iran's Western adversaries as a platform for advancing military capabilities.

“The same rocket that launches satellites can launch missiles; it's the identical technology,” said Fatima Al-Asrar, a Yemeni-American policy analyst at the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies.

“The Islamic Republic calls this space research, but every test improves their ability to hit targets at long range. There's no meaningful difference between a space launcher and a ballistic missile in this instance.”

A 2019 report from the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that expertise in space launch vehicles “can be used as a test bed for developing an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missiles).”

Azodi said that while Iran could theoretically develop intercontinental ballistic missiles, they offer little practical value without nuclear warheads, which Iran insists it is not pursuing.

“At any rate, they help Iran with the necessary experience,” he said. “So Iran is sending the message at the time of tensions that it is enhancing its capabilities in a field that could have military applications.” Azodi emphasized that while the technologies used for satellite launches and ICBMs are related, they remain technically distinct—though the former can provide valuable learning for the latter.

The January 2024 launch of the Soraya satellite aboard Iran’s Qaem 100 rocket has drew a sharp response from Britain, France, and Germany—the so-called E3—who warned that the launch vehicle used the same base technology as long-range ballistic missiles.

Kasra Aarabi, director of research on Iran's Revolutionary Guards at US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, said the latest Qased test should push European powers to consider triggering the so-called snapback of United Nations sanctions.

“The Islamic Republic's latest test will make the triggering of the Snapback mechanism by the E3—Britain, France, and Germany—all the more crucial to limit Iran’s capabilities and resources,” Aarabi said.

For Tehran, though, the message is clear: the war with Israel may have exposed vulnerabilities— but it hasn’t shaken its drive to project power across the region—and beyond.

Some London-based underwriters offering war risk insurance for ships on these routes now mandate specific security measures, according to the report, including a certain number of firearms, ammunition and onboard armed personnel.

The decision follows a July 7 attack in which Houthi forces in Yemen launched drones and rockets at a cargo ship off the Yemeni coast, killing two crew members.

London insurers reportedly incurred a 40-million-dollar loss due to the attack, The Telegraph said.

Shipping insurance companies consider the waterways near Iranian territory to be high-risk due to Iran-backed Houthi attacks in Yemen and ongoing tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States.

The Telegraph also reported that vessels recently docked in Israel or sailing under certain flagged states are struggling to secure insurance, as they are considered more likely to be targeted.

Since the beginning of its term, the Trump administration designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization and launching a series of airstrikes aimed at disrupting the group’s attacks on shipping lanes and missile launches toward Israel.

Oman brokered a ceasefire in May between the United States and the Iran-backed group which held until the Houthis attacked and sank a cargo ship on July 6 in the Red Sea.