Iran International
Tehran has reacted with suspicion to a report suggesting regional rival Saudi Arabia may mediate between Iran and US President Donald Trump, in the latest twist to a drama over whether Iran would accept Trump's overtures for a nuclear deal.
CNN reported on Sunday that Riyadh is open to brokering discussions between the US and Iran to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.
The kingdom is concerned, the US network reported, that Iran might pursue nuclear weapons more aggressively after Israel battered regional allies which had acted as Iran's deterrent to a direct Israeli attack for decades.
Asked about the CNN report at his weekly press briefing Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denied any knowledge and said these were only “media speculations.”
An article titled "Will Saudi Arabia Mediate Iran-US Negotiations?" published by Nour News on Monday outlined key obstacles to Saudi mediation. It highlighted Iran's deep mistrust of the US, shaped by the policies of former President Donald Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. The article also pointed to conflicting Iranian and Saudi interests in regional matters, including Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, as additional challenges to mediation efforts.
Iranian authorities are “seeking strong guarantees of reduction of sanctions before entering new talks,” the media outlet close to former Iranian national security chief Ali Shamkhani, wrote.
Despite these challenges, Nour News acknowledged the potential for reduced tensions and even a new agreement if Saudi Arabia facilitates balanced, pressure-free negotiations.
Foreign affairs expert Ali Bigdeli, speaking to Nameh News on Sunday, noted that Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic influence had grown, citing an upcoming US-Russia meeting in Riyadh as evidence. He suggested Iran might view Saudi mediation positively. “Mr. Araghchi’s visit to Oman may not be unrelated to this matter,” he added.
Bigdeli also argued that Saudi mediation would differ significantly from that of Qatar, given Saudi Arabia’s dominant role in the Persian Gulf.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei repeatedly asserted in the past that the Islamic Republic would never engage in negotiations with the Trump administration. He also notably declined to respond to a message from Trump, delivered by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in June 2019.
In a speech on February 7, after Trump issued an executive order to reinstate his “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran, Khamenei emphatically rejected talks with the United States.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Riyadh on Monday ahead of planned talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to be hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. While Iran’s nuclear program may be discussed, no official announcements have been made.
On Sunday, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump is willing to engage in talks with Iran only on condition that Tehran fully abandon its nuclear program.
"The President has also expressed a willingness to take whatever action is necessary. All options are on the table," Waltz told Fox News on Sunday, leaving the option of diplomatic channels open.
Oman acted as a mediator between Iran and the United States before the talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal, and Qatar has recently offered to mediate new talks.
Speculation has risen that this topic may feature in the upcoming visit of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Tehran. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denied these claims during his weekly briefing on Monday.
Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties in 2023, facilitated by Iraq and China. The Saudi Embassy in Tehran reopened in August of that year, seven years after vigilantes attacked and torched the building in protest to the execution of dissident Shia cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia.
The protests began Friday evening at Tehran University’s campus after Amir-Mohammad Khaleghi, an undergraduate business management student, was fatally stabbed by two men who stole his laptop just outside the campus.
On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of students gathered again at Tehran University and Tarbiat Modares University to protest. They submitted a list of demands to authorities, warning of further demonstrations if their concerns—including the removal of “plainclothes forces” from university campuses—were not addressed.
Students accuse authorities of neglecting their safety amid a rise in robberies near campus in recent years. Meanwhile, they criticize officials for prioritizing the surveillance of student activists and suppressing dissent instead of addressing security concerns.
During Friday’s peaceful protest, four students were arrested, and a female student was injured by one of the unidentified agents who stormed the campus. The detained students were later released.
The presidential administration took an unusually conciliatory approach, a departure from the Iranian government’s typical response. Rather than escalating force against the students, officials appeared willing to defuse tensions. This tactic can be related to current public anger at the deteriorating economic situation and the danger of widespread protests.
University official Hossein Hosseini met with the protesters and blamed the violence on vigilantes and plainclothes security agents who entered the campus without authorization.
Higher Education Minister Hossein Simaei Sarraf cut short an official visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Iran after Friday’s protests. He later apologized to the students and pledged decisive action against unauthorized interference in university affairs.
“Certain individuals and groups are more focused on creating turmoil rather than resolving crises. These irresponsible actions, whose instigators and masterminds remain unknown, have placed a significant burden on the country,” Deputy Higher Education Minister Gholamreza Zarifian told the reformist Etemad Online, referring to the unrest triggered by Friday’s violence against students.
A law passed by Parliament in 2000, during the presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami, prohibits police and other security forces from entering higher education institutions except under “extraordinary circumstances” and only with the university dean’s request and the Higher Education Minister’s approval.
This legislation followed the 1999 student protests, which began on July 7 at Tehran University. Students had initially gathered peacefully outside their dormitories to protest the closure of Salam, a reformist newspaper. Some later moved their protest outside the campus before returning to their dormitories without any incidents.
That night, riot police, the Revolutionary Guards’ Basij militia, and vigilante groups raided the student dormitories, attacking sleeping students indiscriminately. They destroyed rooms and personal belongings, and in a tragic incident, one student was thrown to his death from an upper floor. A similarly violent raid occurred at Tabriz University dormitories two days later.
Known as the Kuy-e Daneshgah Disaster, these events sparked days of protests and unrest in Tehran and other major cities. Demonstrators marched toward Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office in Tehran, chanting slogans against him.
Security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, killing at least three people, injuring over 200, and arresting hundreds more. Many detainees spent years in prison as a result of the protests.
The 1999 university unrest set a precedent for future anti-government protests in 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. This history may partly explain the Iranian authorities' apparent reluctance to use force against university students.