Foreign relations of Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on May 26 that a nuclear-armed Iran would be "a thousand times more dangerous and more destructive" than the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, his office said.

An Iran nuclear deal is not likely by June 30 because technical details will remain to defined and Iran will not get sanctions relief before the end of the year in the best of cases, western ambassadors said on May 26. 

The lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran based on a final deal on its nuclear program will not take place before the end of the year, at the best of circumstances.

An Iranian negotiator on May 24 denied accepting military site inspections as part of a nuclear deal with world powers, a delicate issue in talks that must be concluded by the end of June.

Iran's supreme leader vowed May 20 he will not allow international inspection of Iran's military sites or access to Iranian scientists under any nuclear agreement with world powers.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on May 15 that Washington would help Gulf allies face conventional military aggression but also get them to work more in their own defence against any unconventional menace, such as destabilising Iranian actions in the region. 

The United States and its Gulf allies on May 14 agreed to deepen their military partnership and jointly counter external threats, in the face of Iran's growing role in the region.

Addressing reporters after a Camp David summit with six Gulf leaders, US President Barack Obama said: "I am reaffirming our ironclad commitment to the security of our Gulf partners.    

The US Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation May 7 giving Congress the right to review and perhaps even reject any nuclear deal with Iran, the culmination of weeks of wrangling over how to hold Tehran to account.

Iran is expected to outline big oil and gas projects at a major industry event May 6, seeking to lure foreign investment while driving a hard bargain on potential deals.

Iran is actively trying to buy nuclear technology through blacklisted companies, according to a confidential United Nations (UN) report, citing information from the British government.
 
The claims -- which if true would violate UN sanctions -- were made to a UN panel of experts just weeks after world powers reached a framework deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear program.