Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday he has instructed his foreign minister to pursue “fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States on a new nuclear accord to replace the deal President Donald Trump abandoned. In an English social media post, Pezeshkian said the instruction was conditional on “a suitable environment” — free from threats and unreasonable expectations — and guided by dignity, prudence and expediency. He added the move came in response to requests from friendly regional governments.
Pezeshkian made no reference to the widespread domestic unrest and the government’s forceful crackdown that have marked recent weeks in Iran. Regional and Western officials, including Turkey and several Arab states, have been pressing Tehran to return to talks amid the protests; Turkey has indicated it might host negotiations.
US President Trump’s messaging has been mixed. He warned that with large US warships heading toward Iran, “bad things” could happen if no deal were reached, while at other times urging negotiations and signaling support for protesters in Iran. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that talks were scheduled for later in the week, echoing off-the-record remarks from Turkish and Arab sources, though precise timing and location were not given.
Tensions at sea rose the same day. US Central Command said it shot down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in waters off Iran; an F-35C from the carrier reportedly downed the drone in self-defense to protect the ship and its personnel. CENTCOM said the carrier was roughly 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) off Iran’s southern coast. Later, CENTCOM and maritime agencies reported harassment of the US-flagged merchant vessel Stena Imperative, alleging that two boats and drones approached at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker.
Diplomatic strains were intensified last week after the European Union designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, a decision driven in part by the force’s role in repressing recent protests. Tehran angrily responded by classifying European armies as terrorist groups. Communications inside Iran remain restricted and journalists largely barred, but reports indicate continued, if uneven, unrest and a heavy security response.
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez