Iran signals readiness for nuclear talks with Washington amid rising tensions

TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has instructed officials to begin negotiations with the United States on Tehran’s nuclear programme, according to reports carried by local media on Monday.

The directive comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions following Iran’s handling of widespread anti-government protests last month. In response to the unrest, US President Donald Trump has threatened possible military action and ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.

Despite increasing pressure on Tehran, Trump has repeatedly said he hopes to reach an agreement, while Iranian officials have also stressed their preference for diplomacy, even as they warn of a severe response to any act of aggression.

Fars news agency reported, citing an unnamed government source, that President Pezeshkian had authorised the start of nuclear negotiations with Washington. The source said any talks between Iran and the United States would be limited strictly to nuclear-related issues, though no timeline was mentioned. The report was also published by the state-run newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian officials said they were finalising a framework and mechanism for negotiations, with indirect messages between the two sides being conveyed through regional intermediaries. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said several aspects of the diplomatic process had already been discussed and that details of each stage were being reviewed, with the aim of concluding preparations in the coming days.

Trump has warned that “time is running out” for Iran to reach an agreement over its nuclear programme, which Western countries believe is intended to develop an atomic weapon. Baqaei, however, said Tehran would never accept ultimatums and added that he could not confirm receiving any such message from Washington.

Regional powers have stepped up efforts to promote diplomacy in an attempt to ease tensions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Turkiye last week and has since held calls with his counterparts in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, according to a message he shared on Telegram.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said Iran agreed with Trump’s position that it should not possess nuclear weapons, calling that understanding the basis for a potential deal. He said such an agreement would require the lifting of sanctions in return, adding that a realistic path forward was possible if both sides avoided unreasonable demands.

Baqaei said the growing alignment of neighbouring countries behind a diplomatic solution reflected fears that any US attack on Iran could escalate into a wider regional conflict. His remarks echoed comments by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who warned on Sunday that an attack by the United States would trigger a regional war.

Khamenei also described the recent protests as an attempted “coup”. Iranian authorities have said the demonstrations, which erupted in early January over economic hardship and rapidly intensified, were riots fuelled by hostile foreign powers, including the United States and Israel.

Tehran has acknowledged that thousands of people were killed during the unrest. On Sunday, the presidency released the names of 2,986 individuals out of the 3,117 deaths it said were recorded. Officials have maintained that most of those killed were members of the security forces or civilians caught in the violence, which they have attributed to what they described as terrorist acts.