The first two weeks of Iran-US talks appeared to accelerate the drive for a deal.
It wasn’t all a one-way street, though. Iran has lurched from optimism to trying to downplay expectations. Over the last several days, it has also sought to wait and see as it hedges on a deal by moving forward with increased ties with Russia and China.
What’s important for Iran is that it is not seen to be “wanting” a deal too much. On the other side of the rial, it wants to strike while the iron is hot as the Trump administration appears poised to push for diplomacy.
Iran is cognizant that there is a discussion in the US on this issue. Tehran has likely followed closely the firing of several people at the Pentagon over accusations of leaks. It likely has watched the recent episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he spent a lot of time unpacking the potential of conflict with the regime. There is a sense of internal conflict in the halls of power about what is to be done with Iran.
Central to these talks is also Israel’s view. US President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, and the Trump administration publicly says it agrees with the Jewish state on a plethora of issues – which apparently includes Iran. The regime would look on that with concern because it knows that Israel is pushing for a tougher stance.
What is the Islamic Republic hinting at today? Iranian state media said on Tuesday and Wednesday that the talks that are expected to focus on technical details of a deal will take place on Saturday. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said this in a report that appeared on Iran state media IRNA.
These talks are described as “expert-level indirect talks.” IRNA noted that “Baqaei says that the expert-level indirect talks between Iran and the United States originally scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed to April 26. Baqaei said that the meeting will be held concurrently with the next round of indirect talks between the heads of the two delegations.”
Meanwhile, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Iran’s oil and gas industry “has always been attractive to international investors due to its high profitability,” IRNA reported. Iran wants investment from the US and the West if there is a deal. Absent of that, it wants investment from Russia, China, or other states. The minister “stressed that attracting investment for oil and gas projects remains a key focus for the ministry.”
Statements from IRNA
Meanwhile, IRNA’s CEO has given a second interview to his own network about the deal talks. He was a former Foreign Ministry official who was familiar with these issues. He says the talks are a “litmus test” for diplomacy and “an opportunity for both sides to gauge each other’s positions beyond media narratives and rhetoric.”
IRNA noted, “He said that there had been widespread speculation about the outcome of the talks before they had even begun, but added that if they have managed to create a slight opening for diplomacy, the process could be deemed a success.” Clearly, he appears optimistic, which may also be reflected in IRNA’s reporting.
As the talks progressed, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also spoke with International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi. Iran said its approach to the talks was based on “goodwill and seriousness.” This comes in the wake of Araghchi canceling a talk at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, claiming it was due to a change of format.
This shows that Iran continues to be a bit concerned about opening itself up too much to questions from the US or the West.