Iran’s supreme chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has hinted that Tehran could also be open to renewed talks with the U.S. over its nuclear program.
Khamenei on Tuesday advised Iran’s civilian authorities there was “no harm” in partaking with its “enemy.”
His remarks set clear pink traces for any talks happening underneath the federal government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn’t to be trusted.
But his feedback mirror these across the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear take care of world powers, which noticed Tehran’s nuclear program significantly curtailed in trade for the lifting of financial sanctions.
Yet it stays unclear simply how a lot room Pezeshkian should maneuver, notably as tensions stay excessive within the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas battle and because the U.S. prepares for a presidential election in November.
“This does not mean that we cannot interact with the same enemy in certain situations,” Khamenei mentioned, based on a transcript on his official web site. “There is no harm in that, but do not place your hopes in them.”
Khamenei, who has the ultimate say on all state issues, additionally warned Pezeshkian’s Cabinet, “Do not trust the enemy.”
Khamenei, 85, has often urged talks or dismissed them with Washington after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018.
There have been oblique talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent times mediated by Oman and Qatar. Khamenei’s remarks got here a day after Qatar’s prime minister visited the nation.
Asked for remark, the U.S. State Department advised The Associated Press: “We will choose Iran’s management by their actions, not their phrases.”
“We have lengthy mentioned that we in the end view diplomacy as one of the best ways to attain an efficient, sustainable resolution with regard to Iran’s nuclear program,” it mentioned.
“However, we are far away from anything like that right now given Iran’s escalations across the board, including its nuclear escalations and its failure to cooperate” with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
“If Iran desires to display seriousness or a brand new strategy, they need to cease nuclear escalations and begin meaningfully cooperating with the IAEA,” it mentioned.
Since the deal’s collapse, Iran has deserted all limits that the deal placed on its program and enriches uranium to as much as 60% purity – close to weapons-grade ranges of 90%.
Surveillance cameras put in by the IAEA have been disrupted, whereas Iran has barred a number of the Vienna-based company’s most skilled inspectors. Iranian officers even have more and more threatened that they may pursue atomic weapons.
Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have hit a brand new excessive through the Israel-Hamas battle within the Gaza Strip.
Tehran launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel in April after years of a shadow battle between the 2 international locations reached a climax with Israel’s obvious assault on an Iranian consular constructing in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others.
The assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran additionally prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate towards Israel.
Pezeshkian, a former lawmaker who gained the presidency after a May helicopter crash killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, campaigned partly on a promise to reengage the West with negotiations.
Khamenei’s remarks as Iran’s paramount chief may present him with the political cowl to take action. Pezeshkian’s new overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, was deeply concerned in negotiations on the 2015 deal.
“After doing everything we can, a tactical retreat might sometimes be necessary, but we should not abandon our goals or opinions at the first sign of difficulty,” Khameini also said Tuesday, the second time in recent days he’s referred to a “tactical retreat” amid the tensions.
However, it isn’t simply Iran that is dealing with a brand new presidency. The U.S. will maintain a presidential election on Nov. 5, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump because the main candidates. Iran has been involved about Trump’s return to energy.
While the U.S. engaged in oblique talks with Iran underneath President Joe Biden, it stays unclear how that might carry over to a attainable Harris administration.
Tuesday’s assembly between Khamenei and Pezeshkian’s Cabinet included an look by former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who helped Iran attain the 2015 deal. After the assembly, Zarif mentioned in an internet message that he would proceed to function a vice chairman in Pezeshkian’s administration after earlier publicly resigning over the make-up of the Cabinet.
Source: www.dailysabah.com