Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2025

Iran's Supreme Leader Still Arbiter Of Nuclear Deal

Iran's Supreme Leader Still Arbiter Of Nuclear Deal

"Whether the president is Person A or Person B is less relevant than whether their system is prepared to make commitments to restrain their nuclear program," Jake Sullivan, US national security advisor, said.
The US national security advisor said Sunday that even with the election of an ultra-right president in Iran, the "ultimate decision" on recommitting to the 2015 nuclear deal lies with that country's supreme leader.

"Whether the president is Person A or Person B is less relevant than whether their system is prepared to make commitments to restrain their nuclear program," Jake Sullivan said on ABC's "This Week."

His comments followed the election Friday in Iran of ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi as president, succeeding moderate Hassan Rouhani -- for whom the nuclear deal was a landmark achievement -- and they come as talks in Vienna on rescuing the nuclear deal stand at a potential turning point.

"The ultimate decision for whether or not to go back into the deal," Sullivan said, "lies with Iran's supreme leader."

The 81-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has long stood as the ultimate arbiter of Iran's strategic posture. Raisi is considered a close Khamenei loyalist.

Under former president Donald Trump, the United States quit the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on Tehran.

His successor Joe Biden has said he wants to return to the accord as a crucial way of reining in Iran's nuclear program.

The multination talks in Vienna, underway since April, aim to bring the US back into the deal and to persuade Tehran to again abide by curbs on its nuclear program while providing Iran with sanctions relief.

Israel, a close US ally and bitter foe of Iran, has been fiercely critical of the nuclear deal.

Israel's new premier Naftali Bennett Sunday described Raisi's victory as "the last chance for the world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement."

But Enrique Mora, top European Union diplomat at the Vienna talks, said Sunday that negotiators were "closer" to saving the deal, despite some sticking points.

Sullivan also expressed cautious optimism.

"There is still a fair distance to travel on key issues, including sanctions and commitments Iran has to make," he said.

But, Sullivan added, "The arrow has been pointed in the right direction... We'll see if Iranian leaders are prepared to make the hard choices."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
×