Some Reformist politicians in Iran are urging direct talks with Donald Trump to help resolve the country's serious economic crisis. However, others prefer indirect talks, highlighting hesitations among establishment figures.
In an interview with Etemad daily, prominent Reformist figure Ali Shakuri-Rad said on Tuesday that if Iran can carry out direct talks with the United States, it might even be able to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu from what he called his outrageous behavior.
Referring to recent developments, including Elon Musk's reported meeting with Iran's UN ambassador, the visits of a Japanese deputy foreign minister Takehiro Funakoshi and Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi’s trips to Tehran, Shakuri-Rad stated that these “are clear signals indicating the United States is reaching out to Iran."
Remembering that Trump’s reported message carried by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2019 was ignored by Khamenei, Shakuri-Rad warned that "Tehran should avoid that kind of reaction to the US outreach." He said, "ignoring that particular message created serious problems for Iran."
"Such messages should not be left unanswered," the analyst said, adding that "Iran should not avoid direct talks with Washington, and should not give negative responses to the United States' messages as they provide opportunities for Tehran."
"Iran should not close the doors to negotiations with Trump," he said, adding, "We should negotiate with Trump and hope to protect our national interests through the talks."
Meanwhile, in an interview with pro-reform Jamaran News website, Mohammad Ghoochani a member of the government's news dissemination team said that "Iran will certainly hold indirect talks with the United States sometime during the next months although it might be in Tehran's interest to conduct direct negotiations."
Ghoochani said he personally believes that "It is essential to hold direct talks with America," adding that "holding direct talks does not mean we will accept whatever Trump might say."
Ruling out former security chief Ali Shamkhani's claim about being in charge of Iran's nuclear negotiations, Ghoochani reiterated that "the Foreign Ministry and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will be leading the Iranian delegation in the talks."
However, he noted that Khamenei's advisor, Ali Larijani, "might also play a key role in negotiations with the United States," but he did not provide further details.
Recently, other moderate politicians including former Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri also called for direct talks with the United States and said Iran's ailing economy needs urgent attention.
According to centrist Entekhab website, Former President Hassan Rouhani, who has always supported negotiation with the West, also told his political allies in a meeting that "Iran's problems will not be solved without constructive interaction with the world." He said, "Lifting of sanctions and accepting FATF protocols are prerequisites for engagement with the West. He also pointed out that the government in Tehran should listen to the people's demands.
In a related development, a Reformist commentator highlighted the severity of the country's economic crisis in the Etemad newspaper. "The government is running out of time as the hardships in Iran have become unbearable," he warned. In what appeared to be a reference to Khamenei, he added, "It would be a mistake for the broader political structure to believe that only the presidential administration is responsible for resolving these issues. If the government fails, everyone fail.”
