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Iranian state TV reported on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is also leading Iran’s negotiating team, was instructed not to appear in any photographs alongside the US envoy during ongoing nuclear talks.
According to IRIB’s “Foreign Policy” program, directives issued for Saturday’s negotiations prohibit the publication of photos showing Araghchi alongside Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy and head of Washington’s delegation.
A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Thursday that Tehran will not engage in direct talks with the United States, insisting that any upcoming negotiations will be conducted through intermediaries.
Esmail Kowsari, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said the Islamic Republic’s stance in the talks is unchanged.
“Our positions are clear, and we will not back down under any circumstances, as we believe the Iranian people are being wronged by the current sanctions,” Kowsari told state media.
He added that, following discussions with the foreign minister, any future negotiations with Washington would be “completely indirect.”
“There must be a third-party mediator — direct negotiations will absolutely not happen,” he said.
Former Iranian security chief Ali Shamkhani wrote on X on Thursday that continued foreign threats and the prospect of a military attack on Iran “could lead to deterrent actions such as expelling IAEA inspectors and cutting cooperation,” adding that moving enriched materials to “secure and undisclosed locations” may also be considered.
Iran’s conservative factions are concerned upcoming talks with the United States could extend beyond the nuclear file and may involve additional demands such as disarming Tehran’s regional allies that remain deeply contentious.
Hardline publication Khorasan cautioned that Iranian negotiators must guard against what it called mission creep, particularly in the face of US efforts to shift the agenda toward direct talks.
Iran insists the Oman discussions will focus solely on its nuclear program and officials in Tehran have ruled out negotiations on regional issues or its ballistic missile capabilities.
However, US officials may press for a broader agenda. An executive order US President Donald Trump signed in February called for curbs on Iran’s ballistic missile program and an end to its support for allied groups across the region, such as the Houthis in Yemen.
The group, designated a terrorist organization by countries such as the US and UK, is currently engaged in a tit-for-tat battle with the US amid its blockade of shipping in the Red Sea region.
Khorsan also warned that the talks should not overtake national priorities, including the country's economic crisis, the worst since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Iran has been demanding the quick lifting of US sanctions that have devastated the economy.
The publication wrote that "diplomacy is not a solution to the country’s core problems".
On the eve of talks this week, President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking on National Nuclear Technology Day, reiterated Iran’s rejection of nuclear weapons.
“They [UN inspectors] have checked us a hundred times. Check again. We are not after the bomb,” he said. “We need nuclear science. They want us weak, but we will stand tall through knowledge.”
US President Donald Trump has warned of bombing Iran if Tehran fails to reach a new deal over its nuclear program, giving a two month deadline, without stating when that ends.
Some Israeli security officials believe this weekend’s nuclear talks between the US and Iran could undermine what they see as a rare window for military strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, The Telegraph reported on Thursday.
According to the report, figures within Israel’s security establishment fear the negotiations may “tie its hands” just as Iran is perceived to be increasingly vulnerable. Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, said, “Many Israeli officials are saying that this is just the right time because we have a window where Iran is much more vulnerable.”
He pointed to recent developments, including the destruction of Iran’s Russian-supplied S-300 missile system and favorable airspace conditions over Syria, which he said might not last. Eiland added that retaliation from Hezbollah was considered unlikely at the moment.
“The talks lessen the possibility of military strikes while they are going on,” he said, suggesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visibly disappointed by the timing of the negotiations, which were announced while he sat next to Donald Trump in Washington.
The Telegraph reported that Trump did not set preconditions for the talks, such as requiring Iran to suspend its nuclear activities. This has added to concerns in Israel that Tehran might use the negotiations to stall while advancing its program.
Some Israeli experts fear the indirect format of the discussions—preferred by Iran—may allow Tehran to prolong talks without making real concessions, while continuing to rebuild its military and nuclear capabilities.
