Former Shin Bet chief accuses Netanyahu: ‘I warned him of an impending disaster’

The talks were “positive and constructive”. This was stated to Axios by a US official with knowledge of the indirect negotiations with Iran, who said that Tehran “has indicated it is flexible on nuclear issues”. However, differences remain between the parties and, as the source emphasised, there will be no agreement “unless the nuclear issues are addressed”. In particular, “the parties remain far apart on the timing of commitments and on who should make certain moves first”. The White House, Axios further reports, remains sceptical about Iran’s promises and is seeking assurances regarding Tehran’s willingness to honour any agreement. “This time, the United States needs assurances that Iran is serious and not simply trying to extricate itself from the difficult situation it finds itself in,” the official said, adding that the naval blockade and sanctions are gradually weakening Iran’s position. “The US position is growing stronger by the day, and President Trump remains patient and fully committed to his goal of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he added.

The Qatari mediators are likely to hold separate talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, in New York and with the US side today or tomorrow. This was revealed to Reuters by an official briefed on the negotiations. According to the Reuters source, the talks are expected to focus on a revised version of a seven-day proposal that Iran put forward last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Donald Trump is reportedly willing to ease sanctions against Iran in return for ‘concrete progress’ on the nuclear issue. This is according to CNN, which quotes a White House official.

Mediators are still working with Iran and the United States to negotiate an agreement aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, even after US President Donald Trump publicly rejected the latest Iranian proposal. This was reported to the Associated Press by four officials with knowledge of the matter, including a senior US official and three regional officials. Indirect talks are expected to resume today, as the conflict enters its eighth month. The officials revealed that behind-the-scenes efforts are continuing even after Trump rejected the Iranian proposal, which envisaged reopening the Strait within a week on condition that the United States agreed, among other conditions, to lift the blockade on Iranian ports, unfreeze Iranian assets and lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, remained in New York after the UN General Assembly and said he was awaiting a “definitive” response from the mediators regarding Trump’s refusal. Qatar has acted as mediator. Two of the officials who spoke to the AP confirmed that the mediators are working with both sides on a proposal that would include the reopening of the Strait and the lifting of the US blockade, followed by the lifting of sanctions. According to the draft text under discussion, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened in accordance with a separate agreement that Iran is negotiating with Oman, located on the other side of the Strait, and would not involve the payment of tolls – a condition that Tehran has consistently sought. This agreement aims to temporarily manage maritime traffic on what was, prior to the war, considered an international waterway.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation intend to hold talks in New York with mediators working to resolve the conflict with the United States, but not with the American negotiators: this is according to a report by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing sources within the Tehran government. Earlier, Reuters had reported that the mediators involved in resolving the conflict between the United States and Iran might hold separate talks with the US and Iranian sides on Monday or Tuesday. The talks are expected to focus on a revised version of the seven-point plan presented by the Iranians on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

British investigators are not ruling out any possibility that the incident near the RAF Fairford base may be linked to agents or ‘proxies’ of foreign states. This was stated by Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terrorism, during a press conference. “I know there is significant interest in whether the current geopolitical context may have played a part in this incident,” said Taylor. “In the counter-terrorism police, we work within this context every day and, at this stage, we are assessing all possibilities as part of the investigation.” “We are considering every possible scenario, including the possibility that the act may have been carried out by proxies or by individuals, knowingly or unknowingly, acting on behalf of a foreign state in response to incidents of this kind,” he added. The police are also investigating a possible link between Iran and the suspected plot. Tehran has “categorically” denied any involvement. The Fairford base is used by the US for operations related to Iran.

All five British nationals arrested yesterday by the counter-terrorism unit in connection with the alleged bomb plot foiled near the RAF’s Fairford airbase – which is also used by US bombers in the war against Tehran – have been released on bail. This was announced by a senior police officer, Laurence Taylor, who clarified that the decision was taken following “thorough checks and questioning” and that this “does not mean the investigation is closed”. The five remain subject to “strict restrictions on their movements and contact with others”, although their release appears to have somewhat downplayed the seriousness of the situation.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, is due to meet today in New York with the mediators in the negotiations with the United States to discuss the latest proposals on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, no American representatives will be attending the meeting. Tehran has proposed reopening the Strait as part of an agreement to end the conflict, based on the Islamabad Memorandum, asking in return for the release of frozen assets. The proposal, presented to the Americans in the presence of the mediators, is reported to have been rejected by President Donald Trump, but indirect contacts between the parties are continuing. “Our conditions are clear, and any progress towards opening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent upon their fulfilment,” Araghchi stated, adding that Tehran “will not back down”. The minister also explained that he is awaiting a definitive response from the mediators regarding Iran’s seven-point proposal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again denied reports that the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, rang him in early October 2023 to warn him of an imminent attack from Gaza. “There is no truth in the report published in the Wall Street Journal,” he writes on X, “behind these false ‘blood accusations’ lie hostile foreign states and actors, including Arab countries, whose aim is to bring down the right-wing government and replace it with a left-wing one. This is the electoral issue: either the right, or Palestine”, the post concludes. (ANSA)

Iran ‘categorically’ denies any suspicion of involvement in the alleged foiled bomb attack near the RAF’s Fairford airbase in the UK, which was also used by US bombers during the war against Tehran. This is stated in a press release issued by the Iranian Embassy in the United Kingdom in response to press reports regarding investigations carried out by British counter-terrorism authorities following the arrest of five suspects: all of whom, incidentally, are British citizens residing in London, as announced today.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has announced that the Iranian armed forces have driven the “enemy” back from the waters off southern Iran as far as the Arabian Sea. “Having suffered painful blows at the hands of our valiant fighters and the defenders of the Strait of Hormuz, they [the enemy] do not dare to venture beyond the Arabian Sea,” Khamenei said in a message marking the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq War and Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2024.

“Every time they have risked doing so, they have only caused harm to themselves, and the time is fast approaching when the Arabian Sea, too, will be rid of their presence,” he added.

The five men arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged foiled bomb attack near the RAF’s Fairford airbase – which is also used by US bombers in the war against Iran – are all British citizens residing in London. This was announced today by the counter-terrorism unit in an update, whilst maintaining a degree of caution regarding the perpetrators, as part of an investigation described as “far-reaching and enormously complex”.

Iran has lodged a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) following US sanctions against the Iranian aviation sector, which have led to the cancellation of numerous flights from Tehran. This has been reported by state media. “In agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have also lodged a complaint with the International Court of Justice in The Hague,” said Abuzar Shiroudi, head of the Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation, as quoted by the state news agency Irna.

The managing director of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, Raamin Kashef Azar, has stated that Iranian airlines remain operational despite the sanctions imposed by Washington. According to Al Jazeera, the director said that international flights are currently operating to over 30 destinations and that airport operations have not been disrupted. On 23 September, the day the sanctions came into force, 60 flights were successfully operated. Earlier this month, the US Treasury Department extended sanctions to Iran’s civil aviation sector, designating 27 airlines and aviation-related entities.

Peace mediators between the US and Iran are putting pressure on Tehran to make concessions on its nuclear programme in order to restart ceasefire talks, after President Donald Trump rejected the proposal for a truce, in a race against time to prevent the conflict from escalating once again into all-out war. Those involved, the Wall Street Journal reported, have said that this is an attempt – with little chance of success – to appease Trump on the issue closest to his heart. The tycoon has sought to reframe the conflict around his original war aim – namely, preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon – and to steer the negotiations away from the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently under Iranian control. In a speech at the United Nations last week, Trump said he was currently considering the possibility of ‘annihilating’ the Iranian government to prevent it from obtaining the atomic bomb. However, Iran has given mediators few signs that it is prepared to discuss its nuclear programme. According to Middle Eastern government officials who maintain regular contact with Tehran, Iranian leaders are confident they can withstand a long-term US blockade or a renewed US bombing campaign. The same officials stated that power in Iran is now concentrated in the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary and economic force that has long taken a hard line against any compromise with the West.

The EU Commission is calling on Member States to adopt “measures to reduce demand for gas and electricity for as long as necessary” to tackle “an energy price crisis” linked to “a supply crisis”. This is stated by the EU Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jorgensen, in a letter sent to the 27 energy ministers, including Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. “Against a backdrop of limited global supply and high price volatility, reducing demand can be an effective tool to help keep prices in check,” reads the letter, a copy of which has been seen by ANSA.

Iran has denied that a new round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington is planned, after President Donald Trump stated that he expected further talks with the Islamic Republic. This was reported by the Fars news agency, citing a source close to the Iranian negotiating team. “No talks are scheduled during the Iranian delegation’s visit to New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.” Axios had reported that another round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran was likely to begin today.

Oil prices have risen sharply after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s proposal for a truce and Tehran announced in response that it would not relax its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Traders thus see hopes of a swift return to normal traffic in the strait dashed once again. The November WTI futures contract rose by 2.03 per cent to $94.29 per barrel, whilst the Brent contract for the same month gained 3 per cent to $107.45. Natural gas is up 1.2 per cent, trading at €72.9 per megawatt-hour on the TTF platform in Amsterdam.

“I believe we will win the war very soon.” This was stated by US President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News on the sidelines of the President’s Cup at the Medinah Country Club, just outside Chicago. Trump also predicted a fall in oil prices once the war is over and said he believes the United States is winning it “thanks to both economic pressure and military action”.

According to Channel 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the United Arab Emirates this morning and met with President bin Zayed. Two sources confirm that Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi on a private jet and met with bin Zayed. This evening, the Prime Minister returned to Israel. The Prime Minister’s Office has declined to provide details of the meeting.

The head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, telephoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a few days before the Hamas offensive on 7 October 2023 to issue a further warning and report signs of an imminent attack from Gaza, after two previous Egyptian warnings had been ignored. The news, which comes from the Wall Street Journal, has been widely reported in the Israeli press. The latest warning came in early October, when Kamel rang Netanyahu’s office directly. A source reported that Egypt continued to issue warnings right up until almost 48 hours before the attack.