Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said yesterday that Tehran is currently reviewing all possible diplomatic channels to deal with tensions with the United States, expressing hope for tangible progress in the near future.
At the same time, The New York Times reported that Iran is considering suspending, or even shutting down, its nuclear program as part of a potential agreement with Washington — a highly unusual step given its long-standing refusal to abandon uranium enrichment. According to the report, the primary goal would be to ease sharply rising tensions with the US amid what Tehran views as a real threat of an American military strike. Still, Iran reportedly prefers an alternative framework previously proposed: the creation of a regional civilian nuclear energy consortium, under which uranium enrichment would take place outside Iranian territory.
It was also reported that in a message delivered personally by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran signaled willingness to transfer its stockpile of enriched uranium to Russia — similar to arrangements included in the 2015 nuclear deal. The Kremlin confirmed that the issue of transferring uranium to Russia has been on the agenda for some time.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that direct talks are expected to take place this Friday in Istanbul between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — the first such direct contact. The report claimed that Jared Kushner and senior regional representatives may also attend, though this has not been officially confirmed.
