Petraeus says Iran unlikely to rejoin international fold but deal possible

An Iranian conservative newspaper warned on Tuesday that nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington may soon face a pause, citing the US position on no uranium enrichment.

“It is not unlikely that we will see a pause in the talks altogether,” Khorasan daily wrote in a front-page editorial, accusing the United States of shifting from earlier compromises toward a strategy aimed at achieving “zero enrichment” in Iran.

The paper argued that this new stance is tied to a broader US agenda that combines increased pressure through sanctions with demands for a total rollback of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“Zeroing out oil exports was the tool; zeroing out uranium enrichment is the goal,” it said, referring to Washington’s efforts to block Iranian crude sales and dismantle its nuclear program in parallel.

Khorasan said that Trump no longer shows the eagerness for a quick deal that was evident during earlier rounds. “He and his team may now believe that rushing would reduce the chances of securing an optimal agreement,” the paper said, suggesting that Trump is betting on Europe’s triggering the snapback mechanism and more domestic turmoil in Iran to force greater concessions later.

The editorial concluded that it remains unclear whether Washington’s “zero enrichment” demand is a maximalist bargaining chip or a firm red line. “Either way,” the paper warned, “it will shape the tone and trajectory of future negotiations.”

“There’s a chance that there could be a nuclear deal that doesn’t have some of the shortcomings of the previous nuclear deal that could enable the lifting of sanctions progressively and so forth as confidence is built,” Petraeus said during a panel discussion at the Qatar Economic Forum 2025.

“And that could lead to them being a more constructive player in the region than they certainly have been for many decades.”

Asked whether Iran could be “brought back into the fold” like Syria, Petraeus responded: “That’s overly optimistic.”

He pointed to Iran’s role in supporting its allied forces in the region such as the Houthis in Yemen. “Assuming Iran then also stops some of the terrible activities that they’re doing through proxies in the region which have been so destabilizing, then you can start to see the contours of something that could be much more positive.”

Petraeus said there are signs of narrowing differences between Washington and Tehran, and a possible compromise could include restrictions on uranium enrichment for a limited period.

“Maybe that ends up being for three years and then you have an opportunity to do something small again. But you can actually see this deal starting to come together,” he said.

Amid indirect Iran-US talks, US President Donald Trump has insisted Iran must fully cease enrichment, leading Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to warn on Tuesday that talks look unlikely to progress under those conditions.

On Sunday, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC News: “We cannot allow even one percent of an enrichment capability. Everything begins from our standpoint with a deal that does not include enrichment. We cannot have that.”

On the question of regime change, Petraeus dismissed it as unrealistic. “You have to deal with the world the way it is, not the way you would like it to be. And I never thought that regime change was at all realistic, frankly.”

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Tuesday that a reported quote about the cancellation of indirect talks with the United States was fabricated.

The report comes after UAE-based outlet The National cited an unnamed Iranian official as saying Tehran had not accepted Oman’s invitation for a fifth round of talks in Rome. According to that report, Iranian officials were uncertain about the usefulness of further talks due to Washington’s insistence on “zero enrichment.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that uranium enrichment is not open to negotiation, following comments by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressing doubt over the outcome of ongoing indirect talks with the United States.

“We are witnessing completely unreasonable and illogical positions from the Americans,” Araghchi said. “The issue of enrichment is not negotiable at all,” he added.

Referring to Khamenei’s comments, he added: “Today, the Supreme Leader made the position completely clear.”

Iran said Tuesday that the timing and location of the next round of indirect talks with the United States have not been finalized.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said proposals had been made, including by Oman, but no agreement had been reached.

“As far as we are concerned, no final decision has been taken on this matter,” Baghaei said. “There have been proposals for time and place from the Omani Foreign Ministry, but as of this moment, nothing has been confirmed.”