Iran International
Whether direct or indirect, top diplomats from Iran and the United States are expected to meet in Oman on Saturday. The mere prospect of their presence in the same place at the same time has lifted spirits in Tehran.
While some hardline lawmakers in the Iranian parliament reiterated their distrust of Washington on Tuesday, public sentiment—particularly online—appears more hopeful.
Despite continued criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and frequent jokes about President Donald Trump “breaking the ayatollah’s will,” the mood on social media suggests widespread excitement and a degree of optimism about the talks.
In one of the first reactions to the announcement, former lawmaker Ali Motahari said, “Many in Iran want direct negotiations, and opponents of the talks cannot stand in their way.”
He added, “Whether direct or indirect, participating in negotiations is a decision backed by the entire Iranian political system.” According to Motahari, “a majority of Iranians want an agreement between Tehran and Washington—an agreement that would lift the sanctions.”
Public criticism of hardline figures like Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari, along with a rise in the value of the Iranian currency, appeared to support Motahari’s point. He told Khabar Online that “hardliners only want to make their presence felt; beyond that, they can’t actually prevent negotiations.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed a similar message in remarks to state television. “What matters is ensuring that both sides are serious about negotiating,” he said, while emphasizing again that no arrangement has been made for direct talks.
The shift in tone among Iranian officials in recent days, including military chief Mohammad Bagheri—who expressed support for negotiations—has signaled a broader change in the country’s mood toward diplomacy.
Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a post on X, expressed confidence in Araghchi's leadership. “It is heartwarming to know that Araghchi is heading the talks for Iran. He is knowledgeable, serious, and committed to reaching an agreement based on national interests and mutual respect. Things will go well if the US delegation approaches the talks with the same seriousness and respect for Iranian interests.”
Zarif added: “Now it is the United States’ turn to cooperate in building a better future for the region and the world.”
Commenting on Trump’s decision to announce the Oman talks himself, Iranian journalist Niloofar Ghadiri noted in a post on X: “One of the main differences in this round of negotiations is that the first leak to the media came directly from the US president.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaqt—a relative of Khamenei and director of the pro-reform Fararu website—offered a provocative comment on X: “What would you say if you found out that Iran had launched a one-trillion-dollar project and hadn’t barred American investors from participating?”
In contrast, hardline daily Kayhan pushed back forcefully on Trump’s claim that a military option remains on the table if talks fail. “America is bluffing,” the paper wrote in its first article on the statement. “There will be no military attack. Any US military action would cause havoc in the region.”
The editorial added: “Even a limited military action will provoke Iran to destroy the Israeli regime.”
"The President should share with the Congress what his goals are," Murphy said. "I have no idea what he thinks he's going to achieve."
Trump announced on Monday during a joint Oval Office appearance with Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that 'top level' negotiations will commence between the United States and Iran in Oman on Saturday.
Murphy cast doubt over the event's significance, accusing Trump of lying and not discussing his plans with lawmakers.
“Most of the stuff he says isn’t real ...He lies every single day," the Connecticut Senator said. "He engages in all sorts of negotiations that go nowhere and have no point. So this could be another version."
Trumps Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will lead the talks, the exact arrangement of which remains unclear as Tehran insists it would be indirect.
Iran's supreme leader rejected direct negotiations with the United States last month, warning his officialdom that the Trump administration was not to be trusted after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.
Broder context
Republican Senator John Hoeven was more supportive of the plan to engage with Iran while it was weakened by Israeli onslaught in Gaza and Lebanon and American attacks on Houthis in Yemen.
“It’s very important that we have direct negotiations,” he told Iran International on Tuesday, adding that a deal that stops Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons would be unlikely without face-to-face engagement while hitting Tehran's regional allies.
“The Houthis are funded and supported by Iran. They are a proxy of Iran's,” he said. “So when we go after the Houthis, that's another way of going after Iran.”
President Trump has ordered several airstrikes on the rebel group, warning Tehran that it will be held responsible for all attacks emanating from Yemen.
Hoeven said the strikes were a message to Tehran that it has to stop supporting armed groups across the region.
“This state backed terror by Iran has to stop,” he said, listing groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iran-backed groups in Iraq.
“The AEOI (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran) also indicates that Iran’s uranium reserves are much larger than previously estimated,” said the 2014 biennial Red Book report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency' published Tuesday.
It added that Iran planned to operate six more uranium mines by the end of the first quarter of 2024.
Iran could increase its ore production by almost four times, reaching 71 tons this year, according to the report.
In addition to the current Ardakan uranium production facility in Yazd Province, feasibility studies are underway for the development of the Narigan production center, also located in the same province.
Iran has always maintained that its uranium enrichment activities are for peaceful purposes. However, last year, the US-based Institute for Science and International Security said that while Iran's uranium resources could support a nuclear weapons arsenal, they are insufficient to fuel its growing nuclear power reactors.
Last month, the UN nuclear watchdog found that Iran's stock of near-bomb-grade uranium rose to levels which in principle could be refined further into the equivalent of six nuclear bombs.
Iran’s nuclear program remains a focal point of international tensions, particularly following Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the imposition of economic sanctions.
The United States, meanwhile, has reinstated its "maximum pressure" policy on Iran, with President Donald Trump insisting that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons and has threatened military action against the country should it fail to reach a deal on its nuclear program.
Trump on Monday said that Tehran and Washington have begun direct talks over Iran's nuclear program and will hold a "very big meeting" at a senior level on Saturday.
"We're not denying the fact that having to act militarily is always an option," Pahlavi told a Washington DC event hosted by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI).
"But I think it will be historically criminal not to give the Iranian people a chance to make that happen before you have to resort to those less likable scenarios," he added.
US President Donald Trump has extended an offer to Iran for direct negotiations aimed at addressing concerns over its nuclear program. But the overture was accompanied by a stern warning: failure to engage would result in bombing "the likes of which they (Iran) have never seen before."
Pahlavi added that moving straight from diplomacy to military action would be ill advised. "Once again, you're throwing the people of Iran under the bus, which will only add salt to injury."
In response to Trump's bombing threat, Iran elevated its military readiness and cautioned neighboring countries against supporting any US military actions, warning of repercussions for neighbors who might facilitate an attack.
Addressing the same event, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson said "preventing Iran's regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which is existential for the United States and for American families and has been cited about the missile programs, is the foremost urgency."
He referred to the recent downfall of Iran's staunch ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, adding that he is "very hopeful that the success of the people of Syria should be the equivalent for the Middle East of the fall of the Berlin Wall, for the Europe and Central Asia for ultimately liberation of countries around the world."
Last week, Wilson introduced a new bipartisan bill pushing for measures to empower Iranians to help overthrow the government in favor of a democratic alternative including facilitating greater internet access and funding for dissidents.
The Maximum Support Act, introduced by Wilson and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), would require the administration to develop an aggressive interagency strategy aimed at backing Iranian dissidents who would be pivotal in the process.
The legislation outlines a set of initiatives including facilitating secure communications for activists, appointing a special representative for coordinating support efforts and forming multi-agency teams to counter online censorship and government surveillance.
It also calls for offering safe channels for defection by Iranian officials and utilizing information shared by defectors.
“The Iranian regime will fall sooner rather than later,” Wilson said after introducing the bill.