Did Iran’s Khamenei Greenlight Direct Negotiations With the United States?

London-based Amwaj Media, which is ostensibly independent but appears to have unique access to Iranian government sources, quoting unnamed Iranian officials, on September 25 reported Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei granted Iranian nuclear negotiators permission to “enter direct talks with the United States.” While the Iranian Foreign Ministry dismissed the report, Iranian media outlets have reported on a Japanese and Omani initiative to revive direct nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. Should Khamenei have authorized direct talks with Washington rather than negotiations through intermediaries, it would be of symbolic importance, but the substantive differences between the two countries are unlikely to go away anytime soon.

• September 26: In a statement, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed Amwaj Media’s report: “Such fabrications of news usually serve the purpose of changing the political atmosphere and lack credibility.”
• September 27: Technocratic Donya-ye Eqtesad reported on Japan’s initiative to revive nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. The newspaper quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying: “Any Japanese initiative that coincides with Iran’s interests will be considered as positive by Tehran … We support Japan’s constructive role in reviving the nuclear agreement.”
• September 27: Reformist Shargh Daily focused on public opinion concerning direct negotiations with the United States: Iranian “public opinion does not consider direct negotiations with the United States taboo, despite the best efforts of domestic radicals to make a taboo out of it. After all, the redlines in diplomacy are fluid and can change depending on national interests … Although the foreign minister of Iran said Japan and Oman have suggested an initiative to restart nuclear negotiations, the opportunity for negotiations was lost under the previous Cabinet and perhaps during the first months of the present Cabinet … Clearly, some parties are interested in eroding the foundations of negotiations.”

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