Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, warned on Monday that “frequent changes” in U.S. Positions on nuclear negotiations were undermining trust, even as the Biden administration signaled cautious optimism about reviving talks with Tehran. In a statement issued after a weekend of indirect discussions facilitated by Oman, Kanani reiterated that Iran remained open to dialogue but stressed that “the ball is in the U.S. Court” to demonstrate seriousness through concrete steps—particularly the lifting of sanctions tied to the 2015 nuclear deal.
The U.S. State Department, in a response coordinated with European allies, acknowledged that “progress has been made” in recent technical talks but stopped short of committing to immediate sanctions relief. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that Washington remained focused on securing Iran’s return to full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) before any broader concessions. The official emphasized that the U.S. Would not “preemptively” remove sanctions, a stance that directly contradicts Iran’s demand for an immediate, phased rollback as a confidence-building measure.
Diplomatic sources in Vienna, where indirect negotiations have been held since April, confirmed that the latest round included discussions on Iran’s uranium enrichment levels and the monitoring mechanisms for verification. However, a gap persists over the sequencing of sanctions relief: Iran insists on the reinstatement of trade in gold, petrochemicals, and banking transactions as a prerequisite for further negotiations, while the U.S. Insists on linking these measures to Iran’s nuclear commitments. The European Union’s diplomatic chief, Josep Borrell, who has mediated between the parties, described the current phase as “delicate” but declined to specify whether a breakthrough was imminent.
Adding to the complexity, a leaked internal memo from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, obtained by a regional news outlet, suggested that hardliners within the government were pushing for a harder negotiating stance. The memo, dated last week, argued that Iran should not “concede on sanctions relief until the U.S. Fully reverses its maximum pressure campaign,” a position that aligns with the public statements of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, who has repeatedly framed the negotiations as a test of American credibility. The White House has not commented on the memo’s authenticity but reiterated that it remains committed to a diplomatic resolution.
Meanwhile, regional tensions have cast a shadow over the talks. A recent escalation in the Red Sea, where Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen targeted commercial shipping linked to Israel, prompted the U.S. To deploy additional naval assets to the area. While the Biden administration has framed the move as a precautionary measure, Iranian officials have dismissed it as an attempt to “distract” from the nuclear negotiations. “The U.S. Is using regional provocations to justify its intransigence on sanctions,” said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, in a statement to World Today News.
The next round of indirect talks is scheduled for next week in Muscat, Oman, with both sides expected to present updated proposals. The State Department has indicated that any decision on sanctions relief would require interagency review, a process that could take weeks. For now, the negotiations remain suspended between Iran’s insistence on immediate relief and the U.S. Demand for verifiable nuclear concessions—a stalemate that has defined the JCPOA’s revival efforts for over a year.
