Iran eyes progress towards US nuclear talks as tension eases 

Iran has said that it expects progress on a framework to restart nuclear talks with the United States as unverified reports suggest the country’s president has ordered the revival of the negotiations.

Tehran said on Monday that it is examining several diplomatic processes pitched by countries in the region to ease tensions with Washington, adding that it expects a framework for talks in the coming days.

The announcement came as Tehran and Washington appear to be pulling back from the threat of military action.

US President Donald Trump sent warships to the Middle East after Iran violently put down mass protests in January, but he then called for Tehran to make a deal to resume talks on its nuclear programme, which were abandoned in June when Iran was attacked by the US and Israel.

On Sunday, Trump said the US is talking with Iran. Tehran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has now confirmed indirect negotiations are ongoing.

“Countries of the region are acting as mediators in the exchange of messages,” he said on Monday without giving details on the content of the negotiations.

“Several points have been addressed, and we are examining and finalising the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days.”

The state news agency IRNA reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had telephone calls with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye to discuss the latest developments.

Later, the Fars news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying Pezeshkian had ordered the resumption of nuclear talks.

“Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” Fars reported without specifying a date. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.

Araghchi is due to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff for negotiations against this backdrop, Iranian news agency Tasnim also reported on Monday. Neither Tehran nor Washington has verified a meeting has been arranged.

The reports out of Tehran came as the region has been braced for a potential US attack as an aircraft carrier and fighter jets are sitting in the Indian Ocean close enough to assist a strike.

Trump threatened Iran in the wake of mass protests there in which thousands of people were killed in January. The demonstrations, which were triggered by economic distress and the collapse of the country’s currency, morphed into a direct challenge to the government.

However, Trump’s approach has since transformed into a demand for a nuclear deal as the US and European Union are concerned that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its programme is strictly civilian.

While Iran suggested on Monday that it is moving closer to agreeing to reopen talks, it is understood that the US has set some conditions.

Iranian sources told the Reuters news agency that for talks to resume, Trump has demanded that Iran agree to end enrichment of uranium, curtail its missile programme and halt support to its network of allied armed groups in the region.

In the past, Iran has shown flexibility in discussing the nuclear file, but missiles and regional allies have long been treated as nonnegotiable.

It is not clear whether Iran would change its position now that the country urgently needs sanctions relief to improve the economy and stave off future unrest.

In June, American and Iranian officials had kicked off negotiations in Oman, but the process stalled after Israel attacked Iran and then the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

On Sunday, Trump said Iran was “seriously talking” with the US but insisted, “We have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has also maintained a defiant tone, warning on Sunday that any attack would result in a “regional war”.

As officials in the region geared up their diplomacy to avoid another confrontation, the EU last week designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist organisation”.

On Monday, Iran said it had summoned all EU envoys in recent days over the move, adding that it was considering “countermeasures”.