If you want to trace the history of U.S.-Iran tensions, you would have to go back decades. But the roots of the latest escalation can be found in a series of developments over the past two years.
France, Germany and the U.K. say they are lodging a dispute against Tehran. While they voiced hope for the nuclear agreement's survival, the clock is ticking — and renewed sanctions may be looming.
Iran would commit to permanent nuclear inspections in exchange for a permanent lifting of U.S. imposed-sanctions, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tells NPR.
A special meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna this week let the U.S. and Iran spell out their starkly different views, and came amid continuing tensions.
Oman has emerged as a quiet facilitator of dialogue, including between Iran and the U.S. "We always keep a focus not on the negative, but on the positive," says Oman's incoming U.N. ambassador.
A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran also says that Tehran is prepared to increase enrichment of uranium beyond what's permitted in the multilateral agreement.
President Hassan Rouhani announced that Tehran will start keeping larger amounts of enriched uranium and heavy water. Iran's economy has been damaged by the return of U.S. sanctions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a standing ovation for a speech that critiqued U.S. foreign policy. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Pence defended U.S. global leadership.
The Trump administration is poised to reimpose sanctions on Iran this Monday. Tehran has been abiding by the nuclear deal, but some warn that it could fall apart in the face of renewed sanctions.
The new sanctions, which were previously lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, severely limit Iran's ability to buy U.S. currency and issue sovereign debt, and place restrictions on trade with Iran.
The Trump administration's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal may complicate efforts to free American citizens detained in Iran, former U.S. diplomats warn.
Many of Iran's top oil importers are in Asia. South Korea is among them, but U.S. pressure to decrease oil purchases puts Seoul in a tricky position ahead of President Trump's North Korea summit.
In his defense, Richard Grenell said his tweet instructing German companies to "wind down operations immediately" in Iran was just following "White House talking points."
"We're certainly going to be pushing and asking and cajoling them to disinvest, absolutely," State Department official Andrew Peek tells NPR. The U.S. withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday.
Ahead of President Trump's announcement, here's a look at what the sanctions do, what a U.S. pullout would mean, and possible reaction in Iran and around the world.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says the Iran deal can help avoid a nuclear arms race in the Middle East — one that would also include Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, said no one will trust the United States to stick to an international agreement if it goes back on the nuclear deal.
