IAEA chief says he held ‘intensive’ talks with top Iranian officials in Tehran

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a senior reformist politician and former presidential chief of staff, said Thursday that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s recent comments on nuclear talks with the United States have sent an important message to both domestic and international audiences.

“The world is watching the Supreme Leader of Iran,” Abtahi wrote in a post on Telegram, emphasizing that Khamenei’s remarks on the Oman talks have encouraged Iranian negotiators and signaled unity within Iran’s political system.

“The most well-known figures previously seen as opponents of negotiations were present at the meeting with the Leader,” Abtahi wrote, calling their presence a sign that “in critical moments, leadership can be a unifying force.”

He warned against both overhyping or dismissing the talks, adding that “excessive enthusiasm can be just as damaging as outright opposition.” Diplomacy, he said, should not be treated as the country’s only path forward, but as one of several tools for solving people’s problems while respecting national dignity.

A former senior Iranian diplomat said Thursday that a technical report from IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi could help advance the ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, if it remains free of political influence.

Ali Akbar Farazi, who previously served as Iran’s ambassador to Hungary, Cyprus, and Romania, told ILNA news agency that Grossi’s visit to Tehran came at a sensitive time, between two rounds of indirect talks in Oman. He said the IAEA’s past verification of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program should be emphasized to counter Western media narratives.

“If Grossi’s report is strictly technical, it can definitely facilitate the negotiations,” Farazi said. “The Agency must not be influenced by political agendas.”

He also warned against any proposals to have US inspectors monitor Iran’s nuclear program, saying no country would accept such oversight outside the framework of the IAEA. “We are a signatory to the safeguards agreement and subject to international verification. Monitoring by any specific country is unacceptable,” he said.

Farazi added that the IAEA could help propose solutions on sensitive issues such as uranium enrichment levels and the storage of enriched materials, which are expected to be central to the next round of talks.

The commentaries follow five days of speculation over the venue for the second round of talks, along with a considerable degree of public negotiations in which both sides voiced at times contradictory positions.

Kayhan, a daily overseen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office, warned that portraying negotiations as the solution to Iran’s economic problems is both misleading and dangerous. This view aligns with Khamenei’s longstanding position since 2018, when President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions. At the time, Khamenei rejected negotiations with Trump and insisted that Iran could endure the pressure without making concessions.

“A tainted and mission-driven current inside the country promotes the idea that 100 percent of our economic troubles stem from sanctions, and that negotiations are the only way to remove them,” the paper wrote.

“This viewpoint was already tested during the JCPOA and yielded nothing but ‘sheer loss’.”

Kayhan did not reject talks outright but insisted they should remain limited.

“We must not abandon negotiations altogether,” the editorial continued. “But we must not put all our eggs in that basket either. At most, 30 percent of our economic problems are due to sanctions, and negotiations should be treated as just one of several tools—not the only one.”

Calling for a wartime posture across government institutions, Kayhan urged officials to invest in domestic capabilities.

“When the enemy, led by the US, threatened us with gasoline sanctions, we could have negotiated,” the paper wrote. “But what proved durable and reliable was relying on domestic capabilities… In the end, the gasoline sanctions were rendered ineffective through trust in revolutionary youth and round-the-clock efforts.”

Javan, a publication linked to the Revolutionary Guard, echoed the skepticism, warning against polarizing discourse.

“Extreme optimism or pessimism about talks risks fueling a false political dichotomy in foreign policy,” the paper wrote.

“A realistic approach strengthens the negotiating team’s resolve, avoids sending weak signals to the opponent, and builds the dignity and prudence necessary for successful diplomacy,” Javan concluded.

Iran and the US held the first round of nuclear talks in Muscat last Saturday, with both sides calling the exchange constructive. But remarks by the US representative—who initially said Iran could retain limited enrichment but later demanded a complete halt to nuclear activity—have heightened tensions.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Thursday he is in touch with US officials to assess how the UN atomic watchdog can help bridge gaps between Tehran and Washington in their ongoing nuclear negotiations.

“I am also in contact with the American negotiator to see how the Agency can be a bridge between Iran and the US and help achieve a positive result in the negotiations,” Grossi was quoted by state media.

Grossi said he discussed with Iranian officials how the International Atomic Energy Agency could support the diplomatic process. “We know this process is not easy, and certainly there are those who do not want the talks to succeed,” he said. “But we must make every effort in the interest of peace.”

The IAEA chief emphasized that any agreement must be credible and accompanied by verification, adding that it is important to “listen to Iran’s expectations” and ensure the Agency plays a role as negotiations evolve.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Oman, as the host of the talks between Tehran and Washington, will determine the location of the next round scheduled for Saturday.

“Oman is the host of these talks, and it’s up to the host to define the venue,” Araghchi told reporters. “We are still waiting for our Omani colleagues and my counterpart, the Omani foreign minister, to let us know exactly where we need to go for the continuation of our talks.”