The files we follow: Relations between Iran and its neighboring countries; Relations between Iran and the United States; Relations between Iran and the BRICS; Relations between Turkey and the European Union; Relations between Turkey and the BRICS.
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In September 2024, before being elected, President Trump had already stated that reaching a nuclear deal with Iran was essential. At the end of January 2025, he reaffirmed his hope for an agreement, further indicating that he would be meeting with “very high-level people” in the coming days to discuss the matter.
On the Iranian side, there have also been signals of openness to negotiations and a willingness to reach an agreement on the nuclear program. In mid-January 2025, during an interview with NBC News, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hinted at a willingness to engage with the U.S. under Donald Trump, stating that, in principle, Iran was open to dialogue with his administration, committed to prioritizing regional peace, and had even offered assistance during the wildfires in Los Angeles a few days prior. More recently, Iranian reformist politician Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and a close advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, confirmed Iran’s readiness for negotiations, provided that the U.S. adopts a constructive approach. A few days ago, on January 30, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei reiterated that Iran had signaled multiple times its willingness to resume talks again if the other side was serious about it.
However, within Iran, heated debates persist between hardliners and moderates over whether negotiations with President Trump should be pursued to lift sanctions and revitalize the economy, amid the overall suspicion toward the West, particularly the U.S. Hardliners strongly oppose such talks, citing Trump’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from the 2015 nuclear agreement (inked by his predecessor), the subsequent imposition of heavy sanctions, and the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020 by a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump.
Mistrust is prevalent not only among hardliners but across the political spectrum. While Iranian moderate Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a late January 2025 interview that a new deal was possible, he also acknowledged that there is “much more mistrust compared to the previous time”. This was followed by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee, who asserted that Tehran holds no hostility toward the U.S. and is willing to negotiate with Washington.
Such openings would have been unlikely without some form of tacit approval from Ayatollah Khamenei. On January 28, he appeared to reference potential talks with the U.S. when, while warning against hidden enmities and emphasizing the importance of awareness, he stated, “one may make a deal knowing what needs to be done”. Some observers interpreted this as an allusion to a possible nuclear agreement, though caution is advised regarding interpretations. While Amwaj Media suggested that Iran’s Supreme Leader had given his blessings for talks with the U.S., hardline media outlets such as Fars News Agency and Tasnim News Agency interpreted his remarks as opposing such discussions, highlighting Khamenei’s past firm objections to negotiating with the U.S.
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