Dutch FM praises Oman’s role in US-Iran nuclear talks

A member of Iran's parliamentary economic committee said that indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States are disrupting the business of a small number of people who oppose dialogue.

Ahmad Anaraki-Mohammadi told Rouydad24 news website that the lives of 85 million Iranians should not be affected for the sake of what he described as profiteers of sanctions.

The lawmaker argued that the ongoing indirect talks are upsetting the financial interests of a small group within Iran whose "bread is being turned to brick," a local idiom signifying their livelihoods are being destroyed. "The lives of 85 million Iranians are not supposed to be sacrificed for the sake of this limited number," he asserted.

Iran’s Javan newspaper, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said Tehran could reach a limited nuclear agreement with the United States without compromising its revolutionary ideals or anti-imperialist stance.

“Maybe Iran does not want the image of a 'fighter against imperialism' that has formed in the world’s mind over the past half-century to be erased — but who says that if the agreement is limited to lifting sanctions in exchange for reducing enrichment, that image will be erased?” the editorial said.

Javan also dismissed the idea that any negotiations with the US inevitably lead to normalization or surrender, calling such views exaggerated. It said a partial agreement was plausible, even if some aspects of it remained undisclosed.

The Kremlin on Tuesday declined to comment on whether Russia would be willing to take Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a potential future nuclear deal with the United States, according to Reuters.

The Guardian reported earlier that Tehran is expected to reject a US proposal to transfer its uranium stockpile to a third country, such as Russia, under a plan aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme.

Russia was a signatory to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which US President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.

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Iran's Supreme Leader has expressed a mix of cautious optimism and profound skepticism regarding the ongoing talks with the United States, dismissing the talks as only one of Foreign Ministry’s dozens of tasks.

"We are neither extremely optimistic nor extremely pessimistic about these talks," he said, adding however that “we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities."

Khamenei added, "Ultimately, it is a task and a move that has been decided upon, and the initial steps have been implemented well.”

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During a meeting with a group of senior officials, Ali Khamenei emphasized the need to avoid tying the country's issues to the outcome of these negotiations.

"We are neither extremely optimistic nor extremely pessimistic about these talks," he said, adding however that “we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities."

Khamenei added, "Ultimately, it is a task and a move that has been decided upon, and the initial steps have been implemented well.”

"We must avoid linking the country's issues to these discussions, repeating the mistake of the JCPOA where national progress was made dependent on the negotiation's advancement. Such an approach creates a conditional environment, stalling everything until the talks' results are known," the Supreme Leader said in a reference to the 2015 agreement.

Khamenei's carefully balanced comments suggest a pragmatic approach to the dialogue, acknowledging the necessity of exploring diplomatic avenues while maintaining deep reservations about the intentions of the American side.

As Tehran and Washington gear up for the next nuclear talks on April 19, a sense of cautious optimism appears to be growing among Iranian officials and many public figures,apparently stemming from a perceived shift in Khamenei’s stance, evidenced by his greenlight of Muscat negotiations.

The influence of ultra-hardline opponents of US engagement, such as former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and the Steadfastness Front (Paydari Party), appears to be diminishing amid internal divisions.

Resistance to negotiations among hardliners has softened because outright opposition risks being seen as defiance of Khamenei’s authority.