Dubai, UAE — Iran's supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country's rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was "no harm" in engaging with its "enemy."
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn't to be trusted.
But his comments mirror those around the time of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran's nuclear program greatly curtailed in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Yet it remains unclear just how much room Pezeshkian will have to maneuver, as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and as the U.S. prepares for a presidential election in November.
"This does not mean that we cannot interact with the same enemy in certain situations," Khamenei said, according to a transcript on his official website.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, also warned Pezeshkian's Cabinet, "Do not trust the enemy."
Khamenei, 85, has occasionally urged talks or dismissed them with Washington after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018.
There have been indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of the United States' Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran.
Asked for comment, the U.S. State Department told The Associated Press: "We will judge Iran's leadership by their actions, not their words."
"We have long said that we ultimately view diplomacy as the best way to achieve an effective, sustainable solution with regard to Iran's nuclear program," it said. "However, we are far away from anything like that right now given Iran's escalations across the board, including its nuclear escalations and its failure to cooperate" with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Since the deal's collapse, Iran has abandoned all limits the deal put on its program and enriches uranium to up to 60% purity — near weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Surveillance cameras installed by the IAEA have been disrupted, while Iran has barred some of the Vienna-based agency's most experienced inspectors. Iranian officials also have increasingly threatened that they could pursue atomic weapons.
Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have hit a new high during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel in April after years of a shadow war between the two countries reached a climax with Israel's apparent attack on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others.
The assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh also prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate against Israel.
Pezeshkian campaigned partly on a promise to reengage the West with negotiations. Khamenei's remarks as Iran's paramount leader could provide him with the political cover to do so.
"After doing everything we can, a tactical retreat might sometimes be necessary, but we should not abandon our goals or opinions at the first sign of difficulty," Khameini also said Tuesday.
However, it's not just Iran that's facing a new presidency. The U.S. will hold a presidential election on November 5, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump as the leading candidates. Iran has been concerned about Trump's return to power.
Harris, in a speech to the Democratic National Convention last week, said: "I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists."
The RANE Network, a risk-intelligence firm, said if Harris wins, "the likelihood of a deal will rise as the Israel-Hamas war winds down."
"Once negotiations begin, Iran will likely demand more protections regarding a potential U.S. withdrawal from a new deal after the United States walked away from the previous deal in 2018," RANE said in an analysis Tuesday.
Tuesday's meeting between Khamenei and Pezeshkian's Cabinet included an appearance by former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who helped Iran reach the 2015 deal. After the meeting, Zarif said in an online message that he would continue to serve as a vice president in Pezeshkian's administration after earlier publicly resigning over the makeup of the Cabinet.
