A senior advisor to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has revealed that Iran’s leadership has reached a consensus on the necessity of engaging in direct negotiations with the United States.
This development coincides with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s approval to revisit a long-delayed government proposal to comply with the requirements of an international body combating terrorism financing and money laundering. The proposal had been stalled for five years in the Expediency Discernment Council.
Ali Abdolali Zadeh, the special advisor to the president, stated that the ruling establishment has concluded that direct negotiations with the United States are essential. Speaking at a meeting with economic stakeholders, he emphasized the need for a “new foreign policy” and called for direct dialogue with US President-elect Donald Trump.
“We cannot leave the country’s issues unresolved. We must engage with dignity and prioritize our national interests,” he asserted.
Abdolali Zadeh, who led Pezeshkian’s presidential campaign, reiterated his stance from the elections, saying: “I stated during the elections that we must negotiate with Trump,” according to remarks reported by the reformist news agency ILNA.
Trump’s return to the White House has sparked discussions about how his administration might approach Tehran, particularly concerning Iran’s nuclear program, which has progressed to advanced levels of uranium enrichment close to weapons-grade capacity.
Both the incoming US administration and Iranian officials have sent mixed signals about whether they will pursue confrontation or explore diplomatic solutions once Trump assumes office on January 20.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pezeshkian announced a decision to review Iran’s accession to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international organization overseeing financial regulations to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing. Iranian Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati confirmed that Khamenei had authorized this step.
The presidential office reported that Pezeshkian’s remarks were in response to concerns from Chamber of Commerce members regarding barriers to economic activities.
Pezeshkian expressed hope that collaboration between government bodies could help facilitate economic progress. He stressed that solving the country’s challenges is not the sole responsibility of the government and highlighted the coordinated efforts of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to remove economic obstacles.
The president reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to empowering the private sector and overcoming barriers, underlining the importance of joint efforts to address economic difficulties and ease the financial burden on citizens.
Hemmati also announced that Khamenei had permitted a reassessment of FATF-related matters by the Expediency Discernment Council.
Following Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and the reimposition of sanctions on Iran in 2018, foreign companies have insisted that Iran’s adherence to FATF standards is critical for attracting international investors.
France, Britain, and Germany have tied Iran’s removal from the FATF blacklist to its compliance with FATF regulations, which would allow the use of a special trade mechanism designed to bypass US sanctions. Similarly, Chinese officials have reportedly encouraged Iran to join FATF.
To achieve FATF membership, Iran must ratify the Palermo Convention on transnational organized crime and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (CFT).
