IAEA chief holds ‘in-depth’ talks with Araghchi ahead of Geneva negotiations

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency met Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Monday, state media reported, a day before a second round of talks between Iran and the United States.

The first round of Iran-US negotiations was held earlier this month in Muscat, mediated by Oman. Tuesday’s talks are also set to take place at Oman’s embassy in Switzerland.

Iranian media described the meeting with the IAEA chief as part of preparations for the next phase of negotiations. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks were moving forward within frameworks approved by senior state bodies and stressed that Iran was negotiating “in a climate of complete mistrust.”

Baghaei said Iran’s position was “completely clear,” adding that as a committed member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran accepted both its obligations and its rights. “Our right under Article 4 of the treaty is the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and enrichment is part of that,” he said.

He added that issues such as “what level of enrichment, to what extent, and how many centrifuges we will have” had not yet been discussed in detail. Baghaei also said different branches of the system had reviewed the negotiations and reached a unified decision to use available capacities, including at the foreign ministry and the Supreme National Security Council, to advance the talks.

Police said a relative found Eden after making several failed attempts to reach her.

The case is being treated as a suicide based on evidence and testimonies, police officials said. Greek investigators found pills at the scene and a coroner found bruises on her neck.

Greek police ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and are reviewing security camera footage and taking testimony from hotel staff.

Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, said Eden had traveled to Greece to oversee the production of the hit spy thriller.

Some Greek outlets had suggested police were examining the possibility she was murdered by agents of the Iranian government, citing Tehran’s past criticism of the television series.

International production company Donna and Shula Productions said in a statement, “This is a moment of great sorrow for the family, friends, and colleagues.”

The company said rumors of a criminal or nationalistic motive were not true and urged media and the public to refrain from publishing unverified reports.

Israeli prosecutors have charged a man with gathering intelligence on former defense minister Yoav Gallant on behalf of an Iranian agent.

According to the indictment, Fares Abu al-Hija was arrested in late January after photographing streets near Gallant’s home in Amikam at the direction of his handler. Police and the Shin Bet security service said he is from the Galilee village of Kaukab Abu al-Hija.

Prosecutors said he first made contact with the alleged Iranian agent on Telegram while searching for work and was paid in cryptocurrency for carrying out intelligence-gathering missions. Before surveilling Gallant’s residence, he was allegedly instructed to film a cafe in Tel Aviv, earning $1,000 in digital currency.

He has been indicted on charges of contact with a foreign agent, and prosecutors are seeking his detention until the end of proceedings.

Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said authorities should not delay issuing indictments against what he described as the “main protesters” involved in the unrest, adding that the public expected trials and punishment.

“We must not delay in issuing indictments related to the main elements of the disturbances,” Ejei said, according to state media. He added that investigations may take longer in some cases because of the “multi-layered” nature of the alleged actions.

Rights groups say tens of thousands of protesters have been arrested during the uprising, with detentions continuing.

Iran’s clerical leadership only understands strength, US Senator John Hoeven said, arguing that a US show of force was meant to signal to Iran’s leaders “that this is serious and that change has to happen.”

“There's only one thing that the Ayatollahs in Iran understand, and that's strength. And in the Middle East, there's an old saying, bet on the strong horse. And President Trump and the United States are the strong horse,” the North Dakota Republican told Fox News.

Hoeven described Iran’s ruling system as “the largest exporter of terrorism in the world” that oppresses Iranians and supports groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

“This is the kind of oppressive regime that the people of Iran are suffering under right now,” he said, referring to marches on Saturday, when hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets against Iran’s government across the world.

Hoeven also talked about the role exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi plays and added that “Ultimately, it's got to be about what the Iranian people want for their governance.”