DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's supreme leader on Tuesday opened the door to renewed talks with the United States about his country. The nuclear program is rapidly advancing.telling his civilian government that there was “no harm” in engaging with his “enemy”.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks set clear red lines for any negotiations under a reformist government. President Masoud Pizshakyan And renewed his warnings that Washington was not to be trusted.
But his comments reflected Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which drastically curtailed Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Yet it's unclear how much room Pizshakyan has, especially as tensions remain in the wider Middle East. Israel Hamas war And as America prepares for the presidential election in November.
“This does not mean that we cannot negotiate with the same enemy in certain situations,” Khamenei said, according to a transcript on his official website. “There's nothing wrong with that, but don't get your hopes up.”
Khamenei, who has the final say on all state affairs, also warned Pyzhashkyan's cabinet, “Don't trust the enemy.”
Khamenei, 85, has occasionally pushed for or rejected talks with Washington after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018.
In recent years, there have been indirect talks between Iran and the US, mediated by Oman and Qatar, the US's two Middle East negotiators when it comes to Iran. Khamenei's comments came a day after Qatar's prime minister visited the country.
Asked for comment, the US State Department told The Associated Press: “We will judge Iran's leadership by its actions, not its words.”
“We have long said that we ultimately believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve an effective, lasting solution to Iran's nuclear program.” “However, we are currently a long way from anything like that, including Iran's nuclear escalation and failure to cooperate.”
“If Iran wants to demonstrate seriousness or a new approach, it must stop nuclear escalation and begin meaningful cooperation with the IAEA,” it said.
Since the end of the deal, Iran has abandoned all of the limits the deal placed on its program, and has enriched uranium to 60% pure – that's close to 90% of weapons grade. .
Surveillance cameras installed by the IAEA have been disrupted, while Iran has banned some. The agency's most experienced inspector based in Vienna. Iranian officials have also threatened to pursue nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have reached a new high during the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Tehran made an unprecedented start. Drone and missile attack on Israel After years of shadow war between the two countries, it came to a head in April with an overt attack by Israel. Iranian Consulate building in Syria In which two Iranian generals and others were killed.
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran also prompted Iran to threaten retaliation against Israel.
Pizishkian, a former lawmaker who won the presidency after hardline President Ibrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May, campaigned in part on a promise to re-engage the West in negotiations. . Khamenei's remarks as Iran's supreme leader could give him the political cover to do so. Pizshakyan's new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was deeply involved in negotiating the 2015 accord.
“After all we have done, sometimes a tactical retreat may be necessary, but we should not abandon our goals or opinions at the first sign of difficulty,” Khamenei also said on Tuesday. Ko also said, for the second time in recent days, that he referred to a “strategic retreat”. “Amid the tension.
However, it is not only Iran that faces a new presidency. The US presidential election will be held on November 5, in which Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump will be the leading candidates. Iran is concerned about Trump's return to power.
While the U.S. has been engaged in indirect talks with Iran under President Joe Biden, it remains unclear how this will take a potential Harris administration. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention last week, Harris said: “I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists.”
Risk intelligence firm RANE Network said that if Harris wins, “the chances of a deal will increase as the war between Israel and Hamas ends.”
“Once negotiations begin, Iran is likely to seek further safeguards regarding a possible US withdrawal from a new deal after the US withdraws from the previous agreement in 2018,” RANE said in an analysis on Tuesday. Will.”
“Due to concerns about the sustainability of any new deal, Iran is also unlikely to offer substantial nuclear concessions, such as scrapping more advanced centrifuges, because Iran would want to limit its nuclear program. Another US exit from the new deal could be pushed as fast as possible.
Tuesday's meeting between Khamenei and Pezhashkian's cabinet included the presence of former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who helped Iran reach the 2015 deal. After the meeting, Zarif said in an online message that he would continue to serve as vice president in Pyzhashkian's administration after publicly resigning over the formation of the cabinet.
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Associated Press writer Nasir Karimi contributed to this report from Tehran, Iran.