As Khamenei signals openness to negotiations, is another nuclear deal possible?
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is signaling openness to resuming talks with the United States about Tehran’s nuclear enrichment but has also sought to emphasize that its rival cannot be trusted.
This is an excerpt from Security Briefing, Al-Monitor's weekly newsletter covering defense and conflict developments in the Middle East. To get Security Briefing in your inbox, sign up here.
WASHINGTON — Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, this week openly floated the possibility of renewed dialogue with the United States over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear enrichment.
The gesture hints at a new strategic opportunity for the Biden administration after the election of Iran’s new Reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
But expectations in both Tehran and Washington remain limited, and it's not clear how much room for maneuvering either side will have domestically, especially given the upcoming presidential election in the United States and the current armed standoff between the US Navy and Iran’s proxies over Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza.
