US officials doubt Iran talks to go ahead on Sunday - AP

Jun 11, 2025, 22:00 GMT+1Updated: 23:12 GMT+1

Two US officials cited by the Associated Press on Wednesday said it was increasingly unlikely that the sixth round of nuclear talks with Iran tentatively set for Sunday in Oman would proceed.

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Mideast tensions ratchet up as US orders partial evacuation of Iraq embassy

Jun 11, 2025, 21:40 GMT+1

The United States ordered a partial staff withdrawal from its Baghdad embassy as a UK maritime authority warned of Persian Gulf threats and the top US commander in the Mideast canceled a congressional appearance to address the situation.

Iran and the United States were due to hold a sixth round of nuclear talks over the weekend as a dispute over Iranian enrichment festers and both sides have mooted the potential for the impasse to devolve into conflict.

However, it looked increasingly unlikely that the talks would happen, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday citing two US officials, as tensions in the Middle East ratchet up.

It is not immediately clear if the security precautions in the region are linked to Iran.

The US embassy in Baghdad is set to be evacuated due to increased security threats in the region, Reuters reported on Wednesday citing an Iraqi security source and a US official.

“The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested,” one American official was quoted as saying.

The US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla, postponed testimony before congress on Thursday due to the tensions, the agency reported citing two US officials.

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nassirzadeh said on Wednesday that Tehran would strike American bases in the region if nuclear negotiations fail and conflict arises with the United States.

"Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don't come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us... all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries," Nassirzadeh said during a press conference.

Iraq's state news agency, citing a Baghdad government source, said "steps related to evacuation of US diplomatic presence are not only for Iraq, but several states in Middle East."

Earlier on Wednesday the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warned it had learned of potential threats in the Persian Gulf.

"UKMTO has been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners," it said.

The maritime security firm advised vessels to transit the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz with caution.

Senior MP bashes elite privilege in Iran after cleric family scandal

Jun 11, 2025, 20:38 GMT+1

A senior Iranian lawmaker has issued a rare and sharply worded rebuke of the country’s entrenched corruption and perceived cronyism, warning that public anger over inequality and elite privilege is growing.

“People see the children of officials—those who just a few years ago couldn’t even afford a motorcycle—now owning ships, planes and industry monopolies. It raises serious questions,” national security committee member Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari was quoted as saying by Iran’s labour news outlet, ILNA.

“This behavior has created widespread distrust in society,” the relative moderate and Iran's former envoy to Germany added.

The remarks come amid a growing backlash over the arrest of the son and daughter-in-law of Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader, Kazem Sedighi, in a high-profile corruption case.

The couple were detained by the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence unit for alleged misconduct related to property transfers.

“One of the public’s main grievances with the system is the perception of discrimination,” Shahriari said.

“When there are economic hardships, people expect everyone to bear the burden equally. But when they see that’s not the case—when they see privilege and monopoly—they react.”

Sedighi is an appointee and close associate of supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Apart from leading the capital’s Friday prayers, he heads the state body promoting behavior deemed Islamic—the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice—which includes Iran’s police chief and the ministers of intelligence and interior.

The cleric first came under fire in March 2024, when a whistleblower accused him and his sons of unlawfully acquiring a $20 million plot of land in Tehran. He apologized publicly—to the supreme leader and the Iranian people—once his claim of innocence was proved to be false.

Sedighi was neither prosecuted nor formally investigated.

“What added insult to injury was that he remained Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader,” Shahriari said, linking what he described as growing mistrust and a broader sense of discrimination and unequal treatment.

“If legal action is taken fairly and equally, people will have confidence in the judiciary,” he concluded. “But when people see that there is discrimination and the hardships are not shared equally, frustration builds.”

US has no right to demand end to Iran's nuclear program, president says

Jun 11, 2025, 20:04 GMT+1

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that the United States is in no position to demand that Iran dismantle its nuclear program, stressing that Tehran will not surrender to pressure while maintaining its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.

“We are holding talks with the US and Europe based on the Supreme Leader’s policy, but that doesn’t mean we will submit to coercion,” Pezeshkian said. “We are standing our ground so that no one can bully us or commit injustice against us.”

“Who says we have to bring our research to zero? And then wait around to see when they might allow us to produce or import a certain medical isotope in nuclear energy?”

“Who says we don’t have the right to pursue scientific research on a given subject? Why? Who are they to tell us we’re not allowed to research and must dismantle everything?” he asked.

Pezeshkian said Iran will not bow to any imposed process but is not seeking a nuclear weapon. “The Leader has clearly said this is a matter of belief—we will not produce nuclear weapons. You are free to inspect all you want.”

US set to partially evacuate Iraq embassy over security threats - Reuters

Jun 11, 2025, 19:35 GMT+1

The US embassy in Baghdad is set to be evacuated due to increased security threats in the region, Reuters reported on Wednesday citing an Iraqi security source and a US official.

The development comes after Iran’s Defense Minister warned earlier in the day that Tehran would target US military bases in the region if tensions with Washington escalate or nuclear talks collapse.

"Based on our latest (security) analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq," Axios journalist Barak Ravid quoted a State Department official as saying.

Iraq's state news agency, citing a Baghdad government source, said "steps related to evacuation of US diplomatic presence are not only for Iraq, but several states in Middle East."

Pro-Iran demonstrators outside the US embassy in Iraq

Iran blasts US CENTCOM reference to 'overwhelming force', urges diplomacy

Jun 11, 2025, 19:19 GMT+1

Iran's mission to the United Nations on Wednesday criticized the commander of US Central Command for mooting a potential attack on Iran the previous day.

Asked by congressman on Tuesday whether the military would use "overwhelming force" if Tehran does not permanently renounce its nuclear ambitions, Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla responded, "Yes."

"Threats of 'overwhelming force' won’t change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and U.S. militarism only fuels instability," the mission wrote on X.

"CENTCOM’s legacy of fueling regional instability, through arming aggressors and enabling Israeli crimes, strips it of any credibility to speak on peace or non-proliferation. Diplomacy—not militarism—is the only path forward."