Why came Iran’s supreme leader to the nuclear talks with Trump

It was a close meeting.

Iran was considering in response to President Trump’s message, which was seeking nuclear negotiations. Therefore, the president of the country, as well as the presidents of the judiciary and parliament, gathered with the supreme leader of the Iranian, Ayatollah Ali Khawni, last month, according to the senior Iranian officials familiar with the meeting.

Mr. Khoumi has publicly prohibited and repeatedly engaging with Washington, and described it as uniform and stupid. The officials, who asked not to be named to discuss sensitive issues, said that senior officials, in an extraordinary coordinated effort, urged him to change the path.

The message to Mr. Khamnai was explicit: allowing Bran to negotiate with Washington, even if it was necessary, because otherwise, the rule of the Islamic Republic can be prolonged.

The country was already dealing with an economy in a state of chaos, a currency that drowns against the dollar, gas, electricity and water. Officials have warned against threatening the war with the United States and Israel. If Iran rejects talks or if negotiations fail, officials will tell Mr. Khamnai, and military strikes will be on the main nuclear sites in Iran, Natanz and Fordo, inevitable.

Officials said that Iran would have to take revenge, a wider war, a scenario that may destroy the economy and raise local turmoil, including protests and strikes. They added that the fighting on two fronts pose an existential threat to the regime.

At the end of the meeting that lasted, Mr. Khayni resigned. The two officials said that he granted his permission to the talks, firstly indirect, through a mediator, then, if things continue well, in direct talks between us and the Iranian negotiators.

On March 28, Iran Send an official response The message of Mr. Trump indicates her willingness to negotiations.

Saturday, Iran and the United States The first round of the talks will be held in Amman. If this progress is in face -to -face meetings, this will be a sign of a great privilege by Iran, who insisted that he does not want to meet the Americans directly. Iran still maintains that negotiations will be indirect – which means that each side will sit in separate rooms and Omani diplomats will carry messages back and forth – while the United States said that the two sides are planning to meet directly. Both sides have huge risks.

“The transformation of Mr. Khamnai shows his primary principle that he has long possessed that” maintaining the system is the most essential.

Mr. Trump, who speaks at the Oval Office on Wednesday, once again confirmed that he will take a military action against Iran, “if necessary, at all,” if it fails to negotiate.

He said, “I am not asking for much, they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” adding: “I want them to flourish. I want Iran to be great.”

The conversations come against the background of a rapidly changing global system, from regional changes, to global customs tariffs and changing alliances. Iranian militias supported in the region, Hamas and Hezbollah, were exposed by Israel and Iran He lost a major ally in Syria after the fall of President Bashar al -Assad in December.

Iran’s powerful allies, Russia and China, also encouraged Iran to resolve its nuclear confrontation with the United States through negotiations. The three countries held two meetings in Beijing and Moscow recently to discuss the Iranian nuclear program.

Since Mr. Trump took office in January, Iranian newspapers and critics have expressed concern whether the country’s coalition is carefully planted with Russia and China is in danger.

The Trump administration was directly involved with the Russian government in the war of Ukraine and Iran. Mr. Trump also pressed China to stop Be punished Chinese refineries that buy oil from Iran.

Homayoun Falakshahi, head of the KPLER crude oil team, a commodity data analysis company, said that since January, Iran has exported about 1.6 million barrels per day of crude oil, most of them to China, said Homayoun Falakshahi, head of the KPLER crude oil team, a commodity data analysis company. His company is a decrease of nearly half a million barrels per day if the United States expands its sanctions on China. It will have a major impact on Iran’s economy.

Economic concerns were part of the discussion, as senior officials urged Mr. Khamna to allow negotiations.

Mr. Mohamed Bragher Ghalib, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps and the current Speaker of Parliament, told Mr. Khameneini that the war, along with local economic separation, could go out of control quickly, according to senior officials who spoke to times about the meeting.

Officials said President Masoud Bezishian told Mr. Khamnai that the country’s management through its current crises was not recovered. The government has announced new discounts in Tehran’s energy this month, and for factories, threatening production lines. In the center of Yazd, the severe water shortage was forced to close schools and government offices for two days this week.

On Saturday, Iran will represent Foreign Minister Abbas Aragichi and the United States by the Special Envoy of the Middle East Steve Witkeov.

While the goals of the initial meeting are modest – the approval of a framework for negotiations and the timetable – if things go well, the meeting between Mr. Araghashi and Mr. Witkev will be possible once on Saturday, Iranian officials said.

The watch is knocked on the Iranian nuclear program. Iran is now much closer to the ability to produce a weapon than it was in 2018, when Mr. Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal between Iran and the global authorities.

After Mr. Trump left this deal and imposed sanctions, Iran also moved to abandon some of its obligations under the deal, which put uranium enrichment levels by 3.5 percent and headed to 60 percent.

Iran said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, although US intelligence ended earlier this year Iran was exploring faster, if Croder was walking into a weapon If you choose one follow. The UN Atomic Agency, which monitors nuclear sites, said it has not found evidence of weapons.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that the previous deal was insufficient and He wants a wider agreement.

For his part, Mr. Khamnai put some circumstances and teachers for the conversations, according to three Iranian officials. It has given the green light to discuss the nuclear program – including strict monitoring mechanisms and a significant reduction in uranium. But he said that Iran’s missiles are part of self -defense in the country and that they are outside the border.

Mr. Mossavian, the former nuclear negotiator, said that Iran will never agree to Washington and Israel’s demands to completely dismantle its nuclear program, adding that such a request will be “breaking deals.”

Officials said that Iran is also open to discuss its regional policies and its support for armed groups, and will indicate a willingness to use its influence to defuse regional tensions, including the Houthis in Yemen.

Mr. Ali Larijani said on the strategy and Muhammad Fawaridh in military policy – that Mr. Khamnai appointed many of the senior advisers and relatives – Kamal Kharazi in foreign policy, Ali Larijani in the strategy and Muhammad Furozande on military matters – to manage negotiations with Washington in close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On another sign of softening the position of Iran, Mr. Pezeshkian said on Wednesday in a public speech that Mr. Khmenini was open to allow American companies and investments to enter the largely unexploited Iran market.

On Saturday’s talks on the front pages of Iranian newspapers this week dominated the economy, and even the economy showed a small sign of an increase. The price of Iran, RIAL, gathered a little against the dollar on the black market. And the opening of the stock market in Iran with an increase in many companies.

Ali Fayez, director of the Iranian crisis group, an independent research group, said that with Mr. Trump, Iran has a unique opportunity for a permanent deal with the United States and the possibility of a diplomatic rift to resolve approximately five decades. Mr. Trump’s influence on Israel and the Republican Party, which traditionally opposed an agreement with Iran, would give any greater possible deal.

“The time is very short, the risks are very high, and the issues are very complicated for a diplomacy that the opportunity has the opportunity without two main heroes talking to each other,” said Mr. Fayez.

Night Nikonazar It contributed to the reports from Brussels.