Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday, "If we engage in negotiations, create calm, and improve our relations, we will achieve very good outcomes."
However, he added, "it’s not the case that if the negotiations reach a deadlock, we ourselves will be at a dead end."
A top clerical official warned Saturday that casting doubt on decisions made in the name of national interest can weaken the Islamic Republic’s leadership and serve hostile agendas.
“Creating suspicion about expediency-based decisions weakens the leadership’s standing and is against the interests of the system,” said Ali Saeedi, head of the Ideological-Political Office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
He emphasized that throughout Islamic history, leaders—including the Prophet and Imams—made pragmatic choices to protect the broader mission of Islam.
Saeedi outlined a list of consequences for failing to grasp the logic behind such decisions, including weakening unity, spreading rumors, and empowering adversaries. He warned elites against misinterpreting the leadership’s judgments or politicizing sensitive decisions.
His remarks come amid an alignment among clerical and political figures who have recently pushed back against criticism of indirect Iran-US negotiations.
Former minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said Saturday that dismissing the talks as desperate or imposed stems from poor historical understanding—adding that national survival must guide current strategy.
