INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s unprecedented ‘whole-regime’ delegation at US deal talks signals one goal: expert
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The scope of the Iranian delegation at Switzerland’s first round of technical talks with the United States on Sunday underscored what an analyst described as Tehran’s red-line demand for «immediate cash flow» and significant financial concessions from the get-go.
The team’s arrival at Bürgenstock came within days of a breakthrough memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and after follow-up talks were called off, fueling uncertainty across the region.
«These are the most consequential negotiations America has entered in the Middle East in years. Iran knows that, and it is playing it very well,» counterterrorism expert Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.
«Tehran arrived as if this were the moment to collect,» Mohammed, director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said.
TRUMP’S IRAN AGREEMENT RAISES A BASIC QUESTION: IS IT ACTUALLY A DEAL?
Tehran sent an unprecedented ‘whole-regime’ team to the U.S. deal talks, which signals one priority, a counterterrorism expert said. (URS FLUEELER/Pool via REUTERS)
Iranian state media also confirmed that Tehran had sent a whole-regime apparatus, led by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Their team includes top security, legal and financial figures, including Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, leading the economic committee; Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister handling legal affairs; as well as senior state oil and energy officials.
Mohammed noted that Iran purposely bypassed a narrow, diplomatic-only team to protect its domestic leverage.
«Iran has not only sent diplomats; it has sent the foreign ministry, the security state, the central bank, legal affairs and oil,» he explained. «This is a whole-regime delegation built around implementation, money, leverage and red lines.»
Araghchi, Mohammed said, is the diplomatic face, while Bagheri Kani brings the Supreme National Security Council into the room, meaning the security establishment is overseeing the process and «protecting the regime’s red lines.»
The inclusion of Iran’s top financial and energy officials also sends the clearest signal of Tehran’s primary objective: immediate cash flow, «energy leverage» and control of maritime operations, the expert said.
TRUMP’S ‘ECONOMIC FURY’ SQUEEZES IRAN — BUT CAN TEHRAN OUTLAST THE PRESSURE?
Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12, 2026. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff listen during the event. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images)
«Hemmati’s presence on Sunday was one of the clearest signals. You do not send the central bank governor to a symbolic meeting. You send him when the question is money: frozen assets, sanctions relief, banking channels, usable currency and how quickly Iran can turn promises on paper into cash it can actually spend,» Mohammed said.
«The oil official is another major signal. If oil is in the room, Hormuz is in the room. For an American policymaker, that means maritime security and energy leverage.»
Gharibabadi’s presence, Mohammed said, pointed directly to a legal battlefield over verification and language, perhaps designed to ensure Iran can bypass future enforcement.
The U.S. delegation, which includes Vice President JD Vance, is anchored by U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner.
Vance had indicated that Washington was hopeful it could make progress on both the nuclear issue and the escalating Lebanon ceasefire crisis while in Switzerland.
On Sunday, he said Trump had asked to turn over «a new leaf» to transform the U.S. relationship with Iran and that the talks starting in Switzerland would allow both sides to work to resolve issues.
TRUMP ENVOY WITKOFF AND JARED KUSHNER IN GENEVA FOR CLOSELY WATCHED IRAN NEGOTIATIONS
In this picture obtained from Iran’s ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks along a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images)
In contrast, according to Iran International, hardline lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian read excerpts he described as top-secret letters from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Iranian state TV.
He alleged the leader opposed nuclear talks, demanded compensation from Washington and insisted on Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz before the live program was cut.
Now, the differing composition of the two teams underscores the starkly different approaches both nations are bringing to the table, Mohammed said.
«Iran is not only negotiating substance, but negotiating the terms under which it can later avoid pressure,» Mohammed warned. «If the money comes first and the concessions come later, Tehran will not interpret that as compromise. It will interpret it as victory.»
«If Washington gives Iran cash, oil access and legal protection while Iran keeps Hormuz, proxies, missiles and nuclear options alive, then America has not bought peace. It has financed Iran’s next phase,» Mohammed suggested.
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«This delegation is not designed to end Iran’s leverage. It is designed to collect the benefits of the pause, preserve the regime’s pressure points and carry them into the next round.»
On Sunday, talks between Iran and the U.S. were paused but not ended, Reuters reported.
national security, nuclear proliferation, counter terrorism, iran, sanctions
INTERNACIONAL
Vance says ‘United States wins either way’ as he defends Trump’s Iran deal against GOP skeptics
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Vice President JD Vance pushed back Saturday on criticism that the deal signed between President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian would hand Tehran economic benefits without requiring meaningful changes in the terror-sponsoring nation’s behavior.
In a morning interview on «Fox & Friends,» Vance brushed aside concerns raised by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and other Republicans who say Iran could eventually use the memorandum of understanding’s economic incentives to rebuild its military and nuclear programs. The MOU is meant to serve as a framework for a long-term peace agreement.
«I like Roger, he’s a friend of mine, but I think that he’s wrong on this,» Vance said. «What the MOU says is that if the Iranians behave over a long period of time, they could get some of the benefits of this bargain.»
Critics on both sides of the aisle have charged that the agreement signed earlier this week misses key objectives for the United States, including the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities and enriched uranium stockpiles, limits on its ballistic missile program and a requirement that Tehran end its support for regional proxy groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance joined family members at Ground Zero in New York City Sept. 11, 2024, to honor victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL ‘GIVING A LOT MORE TO GET A LOT LESS’ THAN OBAMA’S, SENATOR SAYS
Wicker claimed the 60-day ceasefire agreement set forth in the MOU undermines the United States’ victories in Operation Epic Fury «in ways that are completely out of step with the president’s goals.»
«Specifically, the $300 billion fund for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran — though not funded by U.S. taxpayers — would make Iran’s payoff under President Obama’s 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison,» Wicker said in a statement.
Wicker argued that easing sanctions on Iran while requiring Israel to cease military action against Hezbollah is misguided, given the group’s continued attacks on Israel’s northern border and its backing from Tehran.
VANCE TOUTS DESTRUCTION OF IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS TRUMP ANNOUNCES ISRAEL-IRAN CEASEFIRE
«The Iranian regime has not renounced its ultimate goal — ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’» Wicker said. «The regime will invest every penny it receives to further that aim.»
But Vance said critics have incorrectly assumed Iran would receive economic benefits regardless of its conduct. Sanctions relief and regional economic aid would only be considered after Iran demonstrates sustained compliance with the agreement and abandons efforts to advance its nuclear program, Vance said.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., departs a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 28, 2025, as lawmakers work to advance the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
«The United States has all the cards,» Vance said. «The [Strait of Hormuz is] now open, the Iranian military is now destroyed. The Iranians have committed to, of course, destroying that stockpile of the rich material, but we have a lot of economic pressure applied to the Iranians that we would be willing to relieve if they do what we need them to do.»
Vance said the agreement is already delivering tangible results, citing the movement of 16 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday after the waterway reopened to commercial traffic. He said the administration is focused on ensuring Iran is permanently blocked from restoring its nuclear program.
«We’re going to go after that enriched stockpile of uranium,» Vance said. «We’re going to try to reset the situation that we have, so that the Iranians don’t just have a destroyed nuclear program now, but so that we can say with some confidence, through a combination of inspections and verification, that they’re never going to be able to rebuild that program.»
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff listen as Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images)
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Vance also expressed confidence that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel would hold long enough for negotiations to continue. U.S. officials are preparing for talks involving Iranian, Qatari and Pakistani representatives, which could begin within days, according to Vance.
«There’s a fork in the road here,» Vance said. «The United States wins either way, but I think that what ultimately happens from here is very much up to the Iranians.»
nuclear proliferation, treaties, iran, sanctions, jd vance
INTERNACIONAL
El libertario Abelardo De la Espriella se impone por un estrecho margen y será el próximo presidente de Colombia
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s escalating feud with President Donald Trump is nothing but a calculated political strategy aimed at boosting her standing at home, a leading Italian political analyst told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
After the row between Trump and Meloni escalated on June 20, analysts also said the Italian leader may see little downside in confronting Trump, particularly as she faces declining approval ratings ahead of Italy’s 2027 general election.
The diplomatic dispute had reached a boiling point after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced June 19 that he was scrapping a trip to Washington, where he had been scheduled to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
«Giorgia Meloni must have calculated that a public row with Trump yields no tangible consequences, other than an increase in her domestic and international standing,» Mattia Diletti, a political science lecturer at Sapienza University of Rome, said.
TRUMP SAYS MELONI ‘WANTS TO BE FRIENDS AGAIN’ AFTER ITALY REFUSED TO HELP US AMID IRAN WAR
Giorgia Meloni said President Trump’s statements were «completely made up» and that «neither I nor Italy ever beg.» (Mandel NGAN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images; Bastien Ohier / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images))
Giovanni Orsina, a political scientist at Rome’s Luiss University, also told the Financial Times that the row would offer a «positive image» for Meloni and a «silver lining» to a confrontation she had «desperately tried to avoid.»
The friction between Trump and Meloni intensified after an interview broadcast by Italy’s La7 television network, where the president claimed she had asked for a photograph with him at the G7 summit and that he agreed only out of pity.
«She begged me to take a picture with her,» Trump said. «She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.»
RUBIO MEETS MELONI AS TRUMP–POPE CLASH CLASH ESCALATES US STRAINS WITH KEY EUROPEAN ALLY
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends her annual press conference in Rome on Jan. 9, 2026, addressing government priorities and policy challenges for the year ahead. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Meloni fired back, releasing a video statement on X rejecting the president’s narrative.
«I am frankly stunned,» Meloni said in the video message. «I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. But there’s one thing he must remember: Neither I nor Italy ever beg.»
Trump doubled down on Truth Social and tied the row directly to Meloni’s political fortunes.
«Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G7 meeting in France,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.
«She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America… when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon … She wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience … Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!»
Within hours, Meloni responded on social media: «As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it … My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest… In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.»
TRUMP ‘RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED’ BY EUROPE’S BETRAYAL ON IRAN, SAYS FORMER THATCHER ADVISOR
Rubio will travel to Italy on Wednesday for meetings with Pope Leo and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. (Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The back-and-forth marks a reversal for two leaders who once enjoyed a close political alignment.
When Meloni first came to power, she positioned herself as a bridge between Washington and Brussels while pushing ties with Trump based on shared nationalism and stances on immigration.
«Politically, Trump has favored Meloni,» Diletti noted, pointing out that she had previously visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2025. She was the only European Union leader to attend his second inauguration.
The cracks also appeared in April when Trump criticized Meloni for siding with Pope Leo XIV’s condemnation of the U.S. conflict with Iran.
On Sunday, Trump also criticized Italy and Giorgia Meloni over their approach to Iran, accusing the NATO ally of failing to help confront Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
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«As the 2027 Italian general election approaches, Meloni is facing a decline in approval ratings for the first time,» Diletti explained.
«The opportunity to counter a President so unpopular in Europe and Italy helps bolster her approval ratings and allows her to build European solidarity,» he claimed.
politics, donald trump, war with iran, foreign affairs, geopolitics
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