White House seeks talks with Iran on nuclear deal, ceasefire: Reports
The Axios news outlet is reporting that the White House is in discussions with Iran on the possibility of a meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this week.
Citing four sources briefed on the issue, the outlet said the objective of the meeting would be “to discuss a diplomatic initiative involving a nuclear deal and an end to the war between Israel and Iran”.
The report comes hours after the CNN broadcaster also reported that Trump has directed members of his team to “attempt a meeting with Iranian officials as quickly as possible”.
CNN quoted a US official as saying that nothing is yet set, but that Israel and Iran were moving in the right direction.
Trump, meanwhile, has left the G7 summit in Canada early and US media say he is expected to meet his national security staff in Washington, DC, soon after his arrival. Earlier, he also issued a threat on social media, telling residents of Tehran to leave the city immediately.
As a comparison, Theran is twice as large as Gaza in area and has 5x the population.
Smoke rises in Tehran after explosion
The Iranian Mehr news agency says an explosion has been heard in northeastern Tehran in the past hour. It posted footage of smoke rising into the sky.
Other videos, verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency, show a plume of grey smoke rising over buildings in Tehran.
#فوری
‼️ اکنون شمال شرق #تهران توسط ارتش #اسرائیل هدف قرار گرفت#سقوط_جمهوری_اسلامی pic.twitter.com/ZfMn0adVn8
— 🕊️ ققنوس آریایی / MIGA# (@Aryan_phoenix) June 17, 2025
‘Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,’ G7 joint statement says
https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2025/06/16/g7-leaders-statement-on-recent-developments-between-israel-and-iran
The economic bloc – which is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US – has also called for “de-escalation” in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
So can't Israel, but they have them... Just a weak statement to support Israel, Iran was never close to a nuclear weapon.
Macron says forcing regime change in Iran would be a ‘strategic error’
Earlier, we reported that the French president said the US had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
We now have more from his comments at the G7 summit.
“If the United States can achieve a ceasefire, that’s a very good thing,” Macron told reporters. He also called on both Israel and Iran to “end” strikes against civilians and warned that aiming to overthrow the government in Tehran would be a “strategic error”.
“All who have thought that by bombing from the outside, you can save a country in spite of itself have always been mistaken,” he said.
