Iran awaits green light from Khamenei to restart talks with US. But, the Supreme Leader is silent: Report

The Donald Trump administration is seeking talks with Iran but Tehran is not yet ready to begin negotiations. Reason: The Iranian government is yet to receive the green light from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to US President Donald Trump's overtures to begin negotiations as early as this week on Monday by stating that a quick resumption of talks could be unlikely. 

In an interview with CBS Evening News, Araghchi said that Iran needed assurances. He added that for Iran to reengage with Iran, one has to first ensure that the US "will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations."

 

However, the real reason for Iran holding back could be that it is Khamenei who has to make the final decision, despite top diplomats expressing interest in engaging with the US. The senior Iranian officials are waiting for the green light from the Supreme Leader, according to a report that appeared in the Jerusalem Post.  

 

However,  it is not yet clear whether the delay in getting the go-ahead is caused by the difficulties in contacting the Supreme Leader or due to his opposition to entering the talks. Khamenei has not been seen in public for more than a week and is reportedly hiding in a bunker since the war with Israel began. He has not made a public appearance yet nor is taking visitors which makes it difficult to contact him.

 

Khamenei, however, released a video last week wherein he declared Iran's victory. "The American regime entered a direct war because it felt that if it did not enter, the Zionist regime would be destroyed. Here too, the Islamic Republic won and in return, it slapped America in the face," he said,

 

There were also reports in Israeli media that Khamenei prevented talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkof and Vice President J.D. Vance.

 

Earlier, US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly sought to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul. Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan contacted Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who in turn, tried to get in touch with  Khamenei to get his approval. But, there was no way they could reach him. After several hours, the Iranian side informed the Turks they couldn't get Khamenei's sign-off. Turkey then told the U.S. the meeting was off, a U.S. official said.

Middle East