Iran to respond to US nuclear proposal in coming days, Araghchi says

The network—run by Iranian brothers Mansour, Nasser and Fazlolah Zarringhalam—relied on front companies in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions and move funds through a parallel financial system, the US Treasury said.

“Iran’s shadow banking system is a critical lifeline for the government through which it accesses the proceeds from its oil sales, moves money, and funds its destabilizing activities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.

According to the Treasury, the Zarringhalam brothers used Iran-based exchange houses—GCM Exchange, Berelian Exchange and Zarrin Ghalam Exchange—alongside dozens of front companies to facilitate transactions for entities such as the National Iranian Oil Company, the Quds Force, and Iran’s Ministry of Defense.

The operations involved fictitious invoices and payments routed through jurisdictions with limited financial oversight, the department said.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce wrote on X that the network had “laundered billions of dollars for the Iranian government.”

“Under @POTUS’s maximum pressure campaign, we will starve Iran of the funds it uses to further its destabilizing activities.”

Friday’s sanctions were the first US measures targeting Iran’s shadow banking infrastructure since President Trump re-imposed “maximum pressure” on Tehran in February, the department said.

Last Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House had temporarily paused new sanctions in parallel with ongoing nuclear negotiations, citing a directive from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Following Treasury’s announcement, Wall Street Journal reporter Elliot Kaufman wrote on X that the sanctions-pause policy had ended after the newspaper’s coverage. “We can now confirm what we heard Monday and Tuesday: The sanctions‑pause policy has been killed after it was exposed in our WSJ editorial,” he said.

Hamid Aboutalebi, former political director of the presidential office, issued a forceful warning in a post on X Sunday, highlighting the layered diplomatic pressures Iran faces in preventing the referral of its case to the UN Security Council and avoiding a European snapback of 2015 nuclear deal sanctions.

“It appears that Iran has only one path forward to prevent its nuclear case from being referred to the UN Security Council,” he asserted, “(coming to) an understanding with the United States and establishing diplomatic relations with that country.”

Such a thaw would mean that Washington does not back any resolution against Iran in the Board of Governors meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he added.

If the IAEA determines Iran to be in serious breach, it could refer the case to the Security Council, which may impose sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, as it did in 2006 under Resolution 1737.

Aboutalebi also warned that withdrawal from the NPT—advocated by some hardliners, including the Supreme Leader–appointed Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari—would deepen the crisis and trigger severe economic and social turmoil.

Hardline outlet Jahan News—affiliated with Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani—accused Aboutalebi of using a “disrespectful tone” and condemned his call for ties with the US

“This anger stems from the president’s commendable stance toward the Americans,” the outlet wrote.

IAEA concerns, stalled talks

In a confidential May 31 report, the IAEA outlined Iran’s use of undeclared nuclear material at three sites and noted a rise in its 60%-enriched uranium stockpile—now at 408.6 kilograms since February.

This is enough for roughly ten nuclear weapons if further enriched to weapons-grade.

No date has been set for the next round of US-Iran talks, and both sides remain at odds over enrichment.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not accept any deal that denies its right to peaceful uranium enrichment.

President Trump, posting on Truth Social, reiterated that the US will not allow any enrichment by Iran. The UN Security Council is set to review Resolution 2231—the 2015 nuclear deal’s legal backbone—on June 24.

Criticism of Pezeshkian

Aboutalebi also took aim at Pezeshkian’s recent remarks that Iran has not been brought to its knees by sanctions or failed talks. He likened them to counterproductive slogans from the past.

“Your statements resemble preaching,” he wrote, referencing the slogan “Nuclear energy is our inalienable right,” which, he said, led to “failure and plunged the country into the abyss of Security Council resolutions.”

Although Pezeshkian heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, his influence over the nuclear file is limited.

According to senior lawmaker and IRGC general Esmaeil Kowsari, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has appointed a special team that sets overall nuclear strategy.

“Before each round of talks, Iranian negotiators meet separately with that team and with Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee,” said Kowsari.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday said his mission is to ensure readiness in case no agreement is reached with Iran.

In an interview with Fox Nation, Hegseth said he hopes Iran stops uranium enrichment and dismantles its nuclear capabilities, but added that the United States is prepared for any scenario.

Iran is working to rebuild its defenses and missile capabilities, Hegseth said, adding that Washington recognizes the threat Iran poses to Israel and is closely monitoring the situation.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said any future nuclear agreement between President Donald Trump's administration and Iran must be more robust than the 2015 accord, with stronger safeguards and verifiable terms.

“Iran should never be allowed to become nuclear capable,” Jeffries told Iran International's Marziya Hussaini on Friday.

“And to the extent that there's an agreement that is reached that is designed to build upon the JCPOA, it should be longer and stronger than what had previously existed and should be done in a manner that is verifiable and resilient.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he held detailed talks with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty about negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program.

“We held extensive discussions on the negotiations between Iran and the United States,” Araghchi said in an interview with Egypt’s Nile News Channel.

“I briefed my brother Mr. Badr on the latest developments, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s objectives in these talks, and the progress and changes that have taken place.”

He added that Iran has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, citing a religious ruling by the Supreme Leader.

“This position is rooted in our beliefs and the fatwa of Ayatollah Khamenei,” he said. “We are trying to prove that our program is purely peaceful. If there are any questions or concerns, we can address them through confidence-building and neutralize Israel’s conspiracies.”