Ex-US ambassador predicts low odds of Iran-US deal ahead of talks

US Representative Claudia Tenney said on Wednesday that she had introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at expanding access to open internet for people in Iran, as authorities continue to restrict communications during protests.

“The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in demanding basic freedoms from a regime that fears open communication,” the Republican lawmaker wrote on X.

She said the proposed legislation, titled the IRAN Act, would require the US government to develop a clear strategy to support open and secure internet access inside Iran.

The bill would focus on protecting essential communication tools, countering bans on virtual private networks, and responding more directly to nationwide internet blackouts, according to her statement.

Tenney said the measure was intended to confront those restrictions “head-on” and ensure US policy more effectively supports free communication for Iranians.

Throughout the day, senior officials on both sides issued sharply conflicting messages about whether talks would happen at all, where they might be held and what they would cover.

Reports citing Iranian and Western officials alternated between suggesting the process had collapsed and hinting that negotiations were imminent, reflecting what one diplomat described as “negotiations about negotiations.”

In Washington, Marco Rubio sought to project readiness while acknowledging deep skepticism.

“I think in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things,” Rubio said, casting doubt on whether diplomacy would succeed at all.

“I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys,” he added. “But we’re going to try to find out.”

Rubio’s Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran was “fully ready” for talks, but only within a narrow framework focused on Iran’s nuclear program.

As officials sparred in public, reports surfaced of intense behind-the-scenes haggling over venue and format.

Turkey was first cited as a possible location, then ruled out, before Oman re-emerged — with Araghchi posting on X that talks would be held in Muscat on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Hovering over the diplomatic back-and-forth were stark warnings from President Donald Trump, who adopted an increasingly explicit tone in remarks to NBC News.

Asked whether Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, should be concerned, Trump replied: “I would say he should be very worried, yeah. He should be.”

Trump also claimed that the United States had uncovered plans for a new Iranian nuclear facility and had issued a direct threat in response.

Iran was “thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country,” he said. “We found out about it. I said, you do that, we’re gonna do really bad things to you.”

In a statement dated February 4, the groups said eyewitness testimony, medical evaluations and independent reporting indicate that Iranian security forces deployed non-standard chemical agents during protest crackdowns.

“Victims report symptoms far exceeding ordinary tear gas exposure, including respiratory distress, neurological impairment, cardiovascular instability, persistent headaches, dizziness, and long-term systemic dysfunction,” the statement said.

The coalition said Iranian medical professionals who treated the affected individuals observed consistent clinical patterns that they described as indicative of exposure to unlawful chemical substances.

The statement did not identify the specific agents involved.

The appeal comes after an unprecedentedly violent crackdown on protests across Iran on January 8 and 9, in which thousands were killed and many more wounded.

The signatories—including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi—urged OPCW member states to invoke mechanisms under Article IX of the Chemical Weapons Convention, beginning with a formal request for clarification from Tehran.

They called for authorizing a challenge inspection and the deployment of an independent expert mission to conduct on-site inspections if Iran’s response were deemed inadequate.

The groups also urged the publication of a public factual report detailing findings and levels of cooperation, and coordinated diplomatic, legal and financial consequences including referral to United Nations bodies should Tehran deny or obstruct the process.

“Continued delay enables further harm, the destruction of evidence, and impunity,” the signatories warned, adding that any use of chemical agents against civilians would constitute “a grave violation of international law.”

Iranian authorities have previously denied using prohibited chemical substances against civilians.

The OPCW has not publicly commented on the latest claims.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has begun a hunger strike to protest her continued detention and prison conditions, according to the Narges Foundation.

"Mohammadi is on the third day of a hunger strike to protest her unlawful detention and current conditions. Fifty-five days have passed since December 12, the day of Narges Mohammadi’s violent arrest by security forces in Mashhad northeast Iran," the foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Given Narges Mohammadi’s critical medical history, including heart attacks, chest pain, high blood pressure, as well as spinal disc issues and other illnesses, her continued detention is life threatening and a violation of human rights laws," the statement added.

Iran’s exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi issued a statement addressed to people inside Iran, praising what he described as national unity and solidarity among Iranians.

“Contrary to the efforts of the Islamic Republic and its accomplices to sow division and derail our movement, you have remained vigilant and patriotic, and with one voice, throughout Iran, you have shouted that you are one great, united nation under one flag,” Pahlavi said on X.

He outlined four principles for those wishing to join the movement, including preserving Iran’s territorial integrity, guaranteeing individual freedoms and equality before the law, establishing a secular democracy based on the separation of religion and state, and ensuring the people’s right to freely choose their form of government.

Pahlavi also vowed accountability for those responsible for killing protesters and pledged to safeguard unity among supporters as he said he would work with Iranians to rebuild the country.