Khamenei says neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic about US talks

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.

Iran's ambassador to Oman denied reports that a senior Iranian diplomat pocketed a gold pen belonging to the Omani hosts during the talks in Muscat.

Reports circulating online had alleged that Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi took a gold-plated pen from the negotiation venue.

Iranian Ambassador Mousa Farhang dismissed the allegations as lies, saying in an interview with Tasnim news agency that there were neither tables nor gold-plated pens in the arrangement of the meeting rooms.

The controversy began with rumors spreading on Telegram that Gharibabadi had mistakenly put a gold pen, provided by the host nation according to protocol, in his pocket.

This led to a fabricated report attributed to the Times of Oman newspaper, saying that Ambassador Farhang had sent a letter to the Omani Foreign Ministry demanding an apology for local media's "marginalization" of an unintentional error by an Iranian negotiator.

Ambassador Farhang told Tasnim that the "lie published by a Telegram channel affiliated with the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist group regarding Gharibabadi is the height of foolishness."

Reports had suggested the gold-plated pen was worth around $14,000, that Gharibabadi was recorded on CCTV, and that he returned it via the Iranian embassy in Oman.

A second US aircraft carrier has entered Middle East waters ahead of the next round of nuclear talks with Iran, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing satellite imagery.

The USS Carl Vinson was spotted Monday in the Arabian Sea northeast of Socotra, an island off Yemen, according to photos from the European Union's Copernicus program. The carrier is accompanied by the USS Princeton and two guided missile destroyers, the USS Sterett and the USS William P. Lawrence.

The Navy has not publicly confirmed details of the Vinson’s mission, but video released in recent days showed it launching F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets and preparing ordnance.

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton voiced concerns about the ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, warning that the United States risks getting caught in another cycle of endless negotiations with Iran.

“I think there are two paths here. One is that we get caught in an endless loop of negotiations yet again, or the other is this is kind of an ultimatum to Iran. Either you make a strategic decision that you're prepared to give up nuclear weapons and prove it palpably immediately, or we or the Israelis are going to take military action against the program. I'm worried that they've picked the first path,” Bolton said in an interview with CNBC.

Bolton expressed deep skepticism about the ongoing talks, particularly concerning the role of US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying that his background and expertise are not suited for such a sensitive and complex issue.

“He knows nothing about Iran. He knows nothing about nuclear weapons. He knows nothing about international arms control agreements. He knows nothing about verification and compliance of those agreements,” Bolton said.

The report cited an internal memo about a proposal to eliminate almost all funding for international organizations like the United Nations and NATO, ending the budget for supporting international peacekeeping operations and curtailing all of the department’s educational and cultural exchanges, like the Fulbright Program.

It said that it is uncertain whether the drastic cuts proposed in the memo would gain approval in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Among the proposed cuts, the report said, the memo outlines a pay and hiring freeze through fiscal 2026, with exceptions for any hires necessary to oversee foreign aid programs transferred from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being disbanded.

The report added that the memo seeks to reduce foreign aid spending by more than 50 percent of the current budget levels for both the State Department and USAID.

The State Department will request a $28.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2026, $26 billion less than the allocation for fiscal year 2025, according to the memo.

The report said that the Trump administration also plans to claw back some funds for the current fiscal year, seeking to reclaim approximately $20 billion in unspent funds from fiscal year 2025 to return to the Treasury.

The report did not specify whether Iran-related programs were included in the cuts.

Over the years, USAID has been a donor to Iranians in the diaspora to strengthen freedom of speech and free flow of information.

A part of the US funds also covers the expenses of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services which ordinary Iranians used to circumvent the Islamic Republic’s censorship.

Official government figures show Washington is the world's biggest donor of international aid, spending $39 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, out of which $65 million was allocated to funding State Department-administered Near East Regional Democracy (NERD).

The body is the main foreign assistance channel through which the United States has supported civil society and human rights in Iran since 2009, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The report added that it was not immediately clear if Secretary of State Marco Rubio had endorsed the memo which NYT said was dated April 10.

In late March, Iran International learnt that the US government resumed nearly all Iran-related aid programs that were paused under President Donald Trump’s executive order in January this year.