Rouhani threatens to quit nuke deal if interests not secured
Tehran, July 6 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has reiterated that if Iran's interests within the 2015 nuclear deal are not secured, it may leave the accord, Press TV reported on Thursday.
During a meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Rouhani told Yukiya Amano, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that Iran might reconsider its cooperation level with the international nuclear watchdog.
Iran has proved that its nuclear activities have always been peaceful, Rouhani said, referring to the IAEA reports issued following the signing of the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran has been committed to its obligations under the deal, he stressed. Besides IAEA regular inspections to Iran's nuclear sites, Iran has allowed short-notice inspections carried out under the IAEA Additional Protocol.
Tehran will decide on the level of its cooperation with the IAEA, if the world fails to save the deal and Iran's interests therein, Rouhani said.
The 2015 pact between six major powers and Iran restricts its nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of the sanctions on the Islamic republic.
However, US President Donald Trump has urged the IAEA to widen its inspections to Iran's military sites despite his decision on May 8 to pull out of the deal. The demands have been rejected by Iran.
Rouhani started on Monday his visits to Switzerland and Austria as Iran and the European Union are holding talks on how to save the nuclear deal despite the US pullout.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
