Former envoy says US ‘backtracking’ on enrichment threatens Iran talks

Kayhan ultraconservative daily warned the government against devoting “most of its time and energy to negotiations with a regime it said has shown little goodwill,” urging instead a "proactive regional strategy."

The paper, overseen by a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called on officials to model their approach on the late President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration and suggested appointing former Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, now an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, as a key consultant.

The editorial also pressed for cabinet reform and a clear domestic roadmap independent of nuclear talks.

Former minister Abbas Akhoundi called Donald Trump a “strategic opportunity” for Iran if engaged with clarity and speed, Etemad reported.

He urged swift negotiations, warning that delays risk instability driven by personal, not institutional, decisions.

“Trump is not someone who waits around,” Akhoundi, who served as roads minister under President Hassan Rouhani, said. He also raised the prospect of restored diplomatic ties, saying eventual engagement between US and Iranian state institutions is necessary.

Akhoundi accused Israel of trying to derail the talks, warning it may resort to cyberattacks or even assassinations.

US and Iranian negotiators are set to hold a fourth round of nuclear talks later this week, Axios reported, as debate sharpens over the scope of a possible deal.

President Donald Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press he would only accept the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program. “The only thing they can't have is a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Iran has publicly rejected such demands, saying its nuclear work is peaceful and non-negotiable.

A lawmaker in Iran’s parliament has urged caution in ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States, saying Tehran has always acted in good faith while Washington has not.

“The Islamic Republic has always shown its will and honesty in any negotiation,” Ali Khazaei said in remarks carried by local media.

He warned that Iran’s negotiators must be “very careful not to fall for American trickery,” adding that any talks should remain strictly limited to nuclear issues.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed accusations linking Tehran to a recent Houthi missile attack against Israel, saying such "baseless" allegations are a pretext to justify what it called further destabilization of West Asia.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry praised the Yemeni rebels' attack on Israel's Ben Gurion Airport as “a courageous act of self-defense", adding that attributing the attack to Iran was a “disrespectful attempt to undermine the Houthis' independence."

Despite Iran's denial, Israel's prime minister said on Sunday that "attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran.

"Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters," the Israeli prime minister added.

"The Houthi attacks are Iranian attacks — Iran uses them as a proxy to spread terror and undermine the regional and global order," the Israeli foreign ministry said.

"The Houthis are the arm — the head is Iranian. The world must hold Iran accountable for these attacks." It added that "Israel has the right to defend itself, and it will exercise this right at a time of its choosing."

Last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran had continued to support Yemen's armed Houthi movement despite an explicit warning from Washington and vowed unspecified consequences for Tehran.

Pete Hegseth wrote on X: "Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the US Military is capable of — and you were warned."

"You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."