Khamenei backs 'Death to America' chants as Witkoff ups ante for talks

The United States may consider putting the military option back on the table if significant progress is not made in the fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, Israel's i24 News reported, citing sources close to the US chief negotiator Steve Witkoff.

If the talks "are not productive on Sunday, then they won’t continue and we’ll have to take a different route,” Witkoff previously told Breitbart News.

The Houthi officials' confusion and contradictory statements following the announcement of a halt in US airstrikes indicate the move was the result of a US-Iran deal, said Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

He said Tehran had exploited the decision to break a deadlock in ongoing negotiations.

"Military action depends on them [Iran], in whether or not they believe in taking President Trump seriously," Israel's Channel 12 reported citing US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

In the Saturday interview, Huckabee emphasized that there will not be nuclear weapons in Iran.

"There won't be a deal that involves Iran with nuclear capacity."

"Iran insists on its right to use peaceful nuclear energy and that includes uranium enrichment," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said one day before the fourth round of talks with the US in Oman.

"We will not back down from the Iranian nation's nuclear rights. If the goal is to prevent Iran from accessing its legitimate right to peaceful nuclear energy, that will never happen," he said.

Araghchi, who was addressing an event held in Doha, said "Iran, in its indirect talks with the United States, emphasizes its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and clearly states that it is not seeking nuclear weapons."

"Iran continues the negotiations in good faith, and if the goal of these talks is to ensure non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, an agreement is possible. However, if the aim is to restrict Iran’s nuclear rights, Iran will never back down from its rights."

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White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s call for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the end of its enrichment program “validate the Iranian nation's suspicion that the US is addicted to its maximum-pressure policies,” Iran's state-run Press TV reported, citing a senior Iranian official.

Witkoff's remarks “not only expose the inconsistency and unreliability of American decision-makers but also reinforce the suspicion that the American side is ‘under the influence and temptation of neoconservatives and Netanyahu’.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a visit to the kingdom, Iranian state media reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the Iranian daily Farhikhtegan reported that Araghchi’s trip included delivering a response to a letter from Saudi King Salman, citing informed sources.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Saturday that Tehran’s delegation to the fourth round of indirect talks with the United States, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, will include “the necessary experts and specialists.”

“I can only speak about our own delegation,” Baghaei told reporters, declining to comment on US participation.

His remarks came after a CNN report said the US technical team would not take part in this round of negotiations.

A senior official in the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader warned on Saturday that failure to defend the country’s leadership could lead to national collapse, citing Libya and Syria as cautionary examples.

“If people fail to defend their leader, the enemy’s kick will awaken them from sleep,” said Ali Saeedi, head of the Supreme Leader’s ideological-political office, according to state media.

He said divine support depends on active resistance. “Worship at home is not enough. One must step into the arena and fight falsehood,” he said.

He added that Iran faces determined enemies. “Two opposing wills now stand face to face — one from the front of truth, the other from enemies who will fight to delay it by even a single day.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday endorsed chants of “Death to America” from his supporters, saying the United States is fully backing Israel’s actions in Gaza and that Muslim nations must resist both.

“Your judgment is right,” Khamenei told the crowd after they chanted the slogan during a speech to workers in Tehran. “Americans support Israel’s crimes.”

“Americans fully support Israel — in the true sense of the word,” he added. “In the world of politics, things may be said that suggest otherwise, but that is not the reality.”

He also warned of efforts to shift global focus away from the war. “They use rumors and meaningless issues to distract minds from Palestine. Minds must not be diverted,” he said.

Khamenei called on Muslim nations to stand against both Israel and its Western allies. “Muslim nations must stand against Israel and its supporters,” he said. He concluded by expressing confidence in Israel’s defeat. “

I believe Palestine will be victorious over Israel,” he said.

Why did the Houthis suddenly agree to a ceasefire—and what does it reveal about Iran’s influence?

In this Eye for Iran segment, expert Fatima Abo Alasrar argues the surprise pause wasn't about peace—it was a power play by Tehran to show Trump it controls the region’s escalation switch.