President Donald Trump pauses while speaking during a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)

President Donald Trump said his trade negotiators had received two “very good calls” from China on Sunday. But a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said that he didn’t know what calls Trump was talking about.

In this May 28, 2019 photo, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi speaks at a press conference in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo / Vahid Salemi)

The decision to ramp up uranium enrichment came less than a week after Iran acknowledged breaking the 661-pound limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.

This Jan. 15, 2011 file photo, shows a part of Arak heavy water nuclear facilities, near the central city of Arak, 150 miles southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. (Mehdi Marizad / Fars News Agency via AP, File)

Iran acknowledged Monday it had broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by the 2015 nuclear deal, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord.

“I think a lot of restraint has been shown by us. A lot of restraint. That doesn’t mean we’re going to show it in the future,” President Donald Trump said Monday, June 24, 2019 in announcing new economic sanctions against Iran.

New economic sanctions on Iran: will they prevent a military showdown? Robert Pape, director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats, offers his insight.

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 8, 2019. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Iran threatened Wednesday to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its 2015 nuclear deal a year after President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord.

After more than 20 months of negotiations, a landmark deal was reached Tuesday between world powers and Iran that curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions. The deal reduces Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium and the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds. It also prevents Iran from producing weapons-grade plutonium. 

A new book, Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy by author Kenneth Pollack, explores the advantages and potential consequences of different foreign policy approaches. Pollack joins us to discuss the book. Read an excerpt.

Though the historical handshake between President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani didn’t happen at the United Nations luncheon today, there’s already speculation another opportunity may be on its way, and relations between the two countries could continue to thaw. We talk with Middle Eastern political expert, Marvin Zonis. View a timeline of U.S. and Iranian diplomatic relations.

Diplomacy is being put to the test in Iran. Tightened sanctions and threats of war are making the situation even more tense. We explore the details of the standoff.

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