Iran agrees to hand over uranium, recipients unclear – Israel Hayom

Iran has rejected taking part in the second round of talks with the United States, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s official state news agency, reported on Sunday.

IRNA's report said “US excessive demands and unreasonable, unrealistic requests, repeated changes in positions, continued contradictory statements” had so far prevented progress in the negotiations.

It added that “the continuation of the so-called naval blockade, which is considered a violation of the ceasefire understanding, along with threatening rhetoric” had also hindered talks.

“Under these conditions, no clear prospect for productive talks is envisaged,” IRNA said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US-Israeli effort against Iran was “not over yet.”

Speaking alongside Argentinian President Javier Milei, Netanyahu said, “Any moment could bring us new developments. Who knows what tomorrow or the day after tomorrow will bring.”

He added that the United States and Israel “shall achieve our objectives and achieve more hope, more light for the free peoples of the world.”

HSBC and Standard Chartered have become embroiled in allegations of a multimillion-pound scheme to launder money for Iran, The Telegraph reported.

The report said the two British multinational banks were accused of “unwittingly” processing payments allegedly linked to a complex sanctions-evasion scheme.

The Telegraph added that the banks were among five lenders — including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of New York Mellon — ordered by a US judge to hand over records for inspection.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said talks with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz are “going well” and that the United States was not far from reaching a deal.

“There are negotiations with the Iranians going on, despite what you hear in the chatter in public, I think those are actually going well,” Wright said on Fox News Sunday.

Wright added that President Donald Trump was “a creative negotiator” and predicted “a nice end of this conflict.”

He also said restarting shipping would take some time once the strait is reopened, but “probably not too much time.”

Iranian-born US permanent resident Shamim Mafi was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on charges of brokering arms deals for Tehran, including drones, bombs and ammunition allegedly destined for Sudan, the New York Post reported, citing the office of the US Attorney for the Central District of California.

The report said Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was taken into custody on Saturday night and accused of using an Oman-registered company to arrange weapons sales as recently as 2025.

Among the alleged deals was a contract worth more than $70 million for Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones from Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, the report said.

The report added that prosecutors alleged phone records showed contact between Mafi and Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025.

Mafi told investigators she had never been tasked by Iran to conduct activities in the United States, according to the report.

In a post on X, US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said Mafi faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

“She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan,” Essayli said.

Essayli added that Mafi is expected to make her initial court appearance on Monday afternoon in US District Court in downtown Los Angeles.