Iran’s supreme leader opens door to negotiations with United States over Tehran’s nuclear program

Iran's supreme leader opens door to U.S. negotiations over nuclear program, setting red lines for talks.

Iran's supreme leader opened the door on Tuesday (August 27, 2024) to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country's rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm" in engaging with its “enemy.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn't to be trusted.

But his comments mirror those around the time of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran's nuclear program greatly curtailed in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Yet it remains unclear just how much room Mr. Pezeshkian will have to manoeuvre, particularly as tensions remain high in West Asia over the Israel-Hamas war and as the U.S. prepares for a presidential election in November.

“This does not mean that we cannot interact with the same enemy in certain situations,” Khamenei said, according to a transcript on his official website. "There is no harm in that, but do not place your hopes in them.”

Mr. Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, also warned Mr. Pezeshkian's Cabinet, “Do not trust the enemy.”

Mr. Khamenei, 85, has occasionally urged talks or dismissed them with Washington after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018.

There have been indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of the United States' West Asia interlocutors when it comes to Iran. Mr. Khamenei's remarks came a day after Qatar's Prime Minister visited the country.