IRAN: Khamenei Adviser-Iran 'Ready' For Indirect Talks w/US
An adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Iran is "ready" for indirect talks with the US. Tasnim News, linked to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) quotes Kamal Kharrazi as saying Tehran “is ready for indirect negotiations in order to assess the other side, present its own conditions, and make a suitable decision,”. Observers continue to await Iran's official response to a letter sent to Khamenei by US President Donald Trump.
- Axios reported last week that Trump set a two-month deadline for talks on reaching a new nuclear deal. In the letter, Trump is said to have called for direct talks, but from Khazzari's comments, this scenario appears to be off the table. Previously, Oman has acted as a mediator in US-Iran talks, but Russia grabbed headlines early in March by offering itself as a go-between.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said on 24 March that Iran was open to indirect talks. However, coming from Kharazzi, today's comments can be viewed as having the backing of Khamenei himself.
- The US continues its 'maximum pressure' strategy of ramping up sanctions on Iran's oil sector in order to push Tehran to the negotiating table. Al Arabiya reports Kharrazi saying that the US believe it can "drag" Iran into talks was part of a "psychological war".
- Given the extreme pressure sanctions and wider geopolitical uncertainty has placed on the Iranian currency and economy, it appears that Tehran's stance could be softening.
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SFIK5 95.75/95.85/95.90 1x3x2 call fly paper pays 2.5 on 4K all day.
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