Iran Leaves Door Open for 'Indirect' Talks with Washington

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, during an interview with IRNA.
Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, during an interview with IRNA.
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Iran Leaves Door Open for 'Indirect' Talks with Washington

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, during an interview with IRNA.
Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, during an interview with IRNA.

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Thursday that Tehran has not closed all doors to resolve its disputes with the United States and is ready for indirect negotiations with Washington.

Iran “has not closed all doors. It is ready for indirect negotiations with the United States in order to evaluate the other party, state its own conditions and make the appropriate decision,” Kharrazi said, according to state media.

“What we see today in the behavior of the US government is a psychological war – pushing a 'war or negotiations' narrative through conflicting messages from US officials,” Kharrazi said.

Tehran has so far rebuffed Trump's warning to make a deal or face military consequences. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the message deceptive and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said talks are impossible unless Washington changes its “maximum pressure” policy.

“The recent position of Trump and the vague references of certain US officials to his letter and its widespread coverage in Western and regional media are intended to create a kind 'delusional optimism' in Iran,” Kharrazi said.

He noted that some Iranians believe that the US opened door policy has been created to resolve the old problems between Tehran and Washington and that Trump is seriously seeking to ameliorate the US relations with Iran. “However,” he added, “This policy is opposed by the US ruling make-up.”

Kharrazi's statements reinforce some observers' belief that there is a lot of division within the Trump administration on Iran.

Last Sunday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump's outreach to Khamenei on a possible new nuclear deal is an effort to avoid military action.

“We don't need to solve everything militarily,” Witkoff told Fox News.

Contrary to Witkoff's diplomatic tone, the White House's national security advisor, Mike Waltz, said the US sought “full dismantlement” of Iran's nuclear program.

“Iran has to give up its program in a way that the entire world can see,” he said in an interview on CBS News.

On Thursday, Kharrazi, who is also head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and a former foreign minister, questioned the true intentions behind the US strategy, which he said was an invitation to negotiate under the shadow of intensified economic sanctions and military threats.

“If Trump had understood Iran and the Iranian spirit, he would have learned from the past and acted differently to resolve the old issues between Iran and the US for the economic benefit of his own country.”

Kharrazi emphasized that Trump should have realized by now that the Iranian people will never bow to pressure or coercion but will respond positively to humility and honesty.

Meanwhile, in a post on his official account on X, Araghchi reposted a leaked message of war plans by top officials from the Trump administration in a group on the commercial messaging app, Signal.

Top Trump administration officials mistakenly disclosed war plans in a messaging group that included a journalist shortly before the US attacked Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, the White House said on Monday, following a first-hand account by The Atlantic.

“People around the globe—including Americans—now see how US officials look at world affairs,” Araghchi wrote on X.

“Some highlight severe incompetence and, more importantly, total disregard for human life in the decision making. As for Iran, we see perhaps another reason to take the recent political overtures with a huge grain of salt,” he added.

Later on Thursday, the FM said his country has sent a response through Oman to Trump's letter in which he urged Tehran to reach a new nuclear deal.



Snapback Threat Deepens Iran-West Tensions Amid Warnings and Diplomatic Standoff

Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)
Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)
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Snapback Threat Deepens Iran-West Tensions Amid Warnings and Diplomatic Standoff

Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)
Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)

Tensions between Iran and Western powers have escalated sharply, as the European trio - Britain, France, and Germany - hinted at reactivating the “snapback” mechanism that would automatically reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran. The looming decision has sparked strong reactions from Tehran, with Iranian officials warning of potential retaliatory actions that may come as a surprise to some European nations.

According to diplomatic sources cited by the Associated Press, the foreign ministers of the European trio agreed during a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August, should no substantial progress be made on the nuclear deal.

The snapback mechanism, part of the 2015 nuclear agreement, allows any signatory to reinstate international sanctions if Iran fails to uphold its commitments. The clause expires on October 18, making this summer a crucial period for decisive action.

In Tehran, the response was swift and stern. Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi, head of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, denounced the European move as “a hostile political action.”

He stressed that Iran has “multiple options” and would not hesitate to use them if provoked. “The West must refrain from such a step,” Azizi warned, “and if they go ahead with it, our countermeasures may be unexpected for some Europeans.”

Conservative Iranian newspaper Kayhan went even further, calling for legislation to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), framing it as a necessary deterrent step.

Earlier this month, Iran’s parliament passed a law to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), requiring all inspection requests to be coordinated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

This move came in response to US airstrikes on Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment site, as well as facilities in Isfahan and Natanz, during a 12-day war initiated by Israel on June 13.

Despite the growing tensions, some Iranian figures are urging a return to diplomacy. Mohammad Sadr, a veteran diplomat and member of the Expediency Council, stressed the need for “serious and urgent” negotiations with the European trio.

“Given the limited time before snapback is activated, Iran must work to create conditions that prevent Europe from taking that route,” Sadr said in a media interview.

The UK, France, and Germany are all original signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal, from which US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, arguing it was too lenient on Tehran.

Under the agreement, sanctions were lifted in exchange for strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program. The snapback clause allows for the automatic reimposition of sanctions if Iran is found to be non-compliant.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on Tuesday that the trio is now in a position to justify triggering the snapback. Meanwhile, the ambassadors of the three nations met at the German UN mission this week to discuss the situation. Though no specific conditions were disclosed, the discussions signaled growing impatience with Tehran.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged his German and French counterparts to activate the snapback during a meeting on the sidelines of the EU ministerial council in Brussels on Tuesday.

The newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also discussed the issue with multiple world leaders. A senior Israeli official said: “There are no longer valid excuses to delay reimposing sanctions.”

He added that Iran’s previous threats to enrich uranium to 90% are now considered irrelevant. “Even the US now supports the snapback, and the Europeans are inclined to follow suit.”