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Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that he has instructed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States in what is the first clear sign Tehran wants to negotiate as tensions remain high with Washington.
Tensions between the two spiked after Trump threatened to militarily intervene in Iran amid the government’s brutal crackdown on protesters in major anti-government demonstrations. Thousands have reportedly been killed in the repression.
The announcement came as a US Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching a US aircraft carrier in the region early on Tuesday. The US also said Iranian fast boats tried to stop a US-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, incidents Iran did not immediately acknowledge.
The incidents strained but did not totally derail hopes for talks between Iran and the US. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has been planning to hold talks with Iranian officials in Turkey later this week.
“(President Donald Trump) is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” Leavitt said. “You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy and that’s something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing.”
The shift towards negotiations marked a major turn for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had broadly warned Iranians for weeks that the turmoil in his country had gone beyond his control.
It also signals that the president received support from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for talks that the 86-year-old cleric previously had dismissed.
Turkey has been working behind the scenes to broker talks between Washington and Tehran as Witkoff is travelling in the region.
A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the location of the talks was uncertain, but expressed Ankara’s readiness to host and support the process.
The official added that foreign ministers from Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan were also invited to attend the talks, if they happen.
Iran’s top diplomat spoke by phone with his counterparts from Qatar, Turkey, Oman and Kuwait on Tuesday, but did not mention a possible venue. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei told local media that the talks were expected to take place in the coming days, but details were still being worked out.
Whether Iran and the US can reach an agreement remains to be seen, particularly as Trump has now included the country’s nuclear programme in a list of demands from Tehran in any talks, as Israel continues to warn of attempts on Tehran’s side to revive the project.
Additional sources • AP