Iranian MP urges Khamenei to rethink nuclear weapons stance

"Despite ongoing challenges and disputes in the current negotiations between Tehran and Washington, both sides appear to be making mutual concessions in pursuit of a deal," Iranian political analyst Alireza Namvar Haghighi told Iran International.

"Ultimately, because both sides are aiming for an agreement, they would meet each other halfway," Namvar Haghighi said.

He suggested that the United States may have agreed to accept Iran’s uranium enrichment—either in a frozen state or at a limited level—while, in return, Iran is prepared to accept stricter verification measures.

According to Namvar Haghighi, this compromise could serve as the basis for a potential agreement between the two sides.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, "We engage in dialogue because we seek peace. However, the notion of completely dismantling Iran's nuclear facilities is unacceptable to us."

"Some people mistakenly believe we are weak and make such claims in the media," he added.

"We need nuclear energy for healthcare, technology, agriculture, the environment, and industry, and we are not going to hand over this achievement so easily," Pezeshkian said.

"Iran will not give up its peaceful nuclear rights," Pezeshkian said. However, he added that "we can assure you Iran has never sought, is not seeking, and will never seek nuclear weapons."

He also said "we are engaged in serious negotiations and seeking an agreement."

"We are by no means seeking unrest in the region," Iran's president said, adding that it is Israel that is creating instability in the region.

“If no agreement is reached today, I can say without a doubt that the American side is to blame,” said Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator.

“There may have been times in the past when I couldn’t say this, but today I say it with complete certainty: our side has entered the talks with the will and authority to make a deal,” Zarif added during a speech at the Tehran Book Fair, shortly after the conclusion of the fourth round of Iran-US negotiations in Oman.

Zarif, the architect of the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, said that “if the other side does not want to reach an agreement and instead looks for excuses, the blame lies with them.”

Araghchi, the current Iranian foreign minister and chief negotiator, served as Zarif’s deputy during the negotiations that led to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018.

Faridi, a 22-year-old student from the northwestern city of Tabriz, was studying manufacturing engineering at the University of Tabriz when he was first arrested by Iran’s Law Enforcement Intelligence Organization in March 2024.

He was released on bail after nearly a month in detention, only to be re-arrested in June that year after appearing before Branch 15 of the Tabriz Prosecutor’s Office, which handles so-called national security cases.

His death sentence was handed down in February 2025 by Judge Ali Sheykhlou of Branch 3 of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, a figure known for issuing harsh rulings against dissidents.

The verdict was based on reports from the police intelligence unit and an indictment issued by a prosecutor who was later sacked for corruption. The ruling was delivered despite objections raised by Faridi and his lawyer, and without what sources describe as sufficient evidence.

Corrupt prosecutor

Faridi's indictment had been issued by Ali Mousavi Aghdam, a former prosecutor for Branch 15 of the Tabriz Prosecutor’s Office.

Aghdam was arrested in November 2024 — less than three months after filing the charges — for forming a corruption ring within the judiciary, accepting bribes, forging documents, and fabricating cases. He was later convicted and dismissed from the judiciary.

Faridi's case is currently under review by Iran’s Supreme Court. According to a source familiar with the proceedings, the lack of credible evidence in the file and the court's past record of overturning similar sentences issued by Judge Sheykhlou has given Faridi’s family hope that the ruling will be annulled.

Faridi had already been sentenced to six months in prison on a separate charge of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” prior to the death penalty case.

The revelation comes amid a surge in executions in Iran, particularly targeting political prisoners. Human rights groups reported that at least 230 people — including 8 women — were executed across Iranian prisons in the first three months of 2025, more than double the number from the same period the previous year.

As of early May, human rights monitors estimate that around 60 individuals facing political or security-related charges are currently on death row in Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed media reports about his disagreement with US President Donald Trump over Iran and Yemen's Houthis, saying there is no rift between Israel and the US.