A consensus is emerging within Iran’s fractious political scene that the country must relaunch negotiations over its nuclear program with the United States, even as mistrust remains over whether such talks could simply be the prelude to another Israeli attack, according to analysts and political observers inside and outside Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have engaged in a media blitz over the past several weeks seeking to distinguish between the U.S. and Israel, stressing that a negotiated settlement could be reached with Washington despite Israeli hostility.
In an interview with conservative media personality Tucker Carlson published last week, for instance, Pezeshkian accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of planting the idea in American minds that Iran was after a nuclear weapon but emphasized that his country could “very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks.” And in an opinion piece in the Financial Times, Araghchi said Iran and the U.S. “were on the cusp of a historic breakthrough” before the Israeli strikes began.
Some observers say the momentum toward resuming negotiations reflects a power struggle in Tehran that has intensified after the Israeli and U.S. attacks last month, with those advocating a more conciliatory approach gaining influence at the expense of those favoring confrontation.
