Pezeshkian Says Iran’s Leader Gave Government Authority for U.S. Talks

Original report Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday, November 2, that Iran’s supreme leader had given his government certain powers concerning peace talks with the United States. He said Tehran would seek to resolve the conflict through dialogue. The account attributes the negotiating authority to the supreme leader, but does not specify its scope or the conditions attached to it. “We will try to resolve the problem through dialogue,” Pezeshkian said. He did not elaborate on the powers granted to the government. His remarks described authority to pursue a diplomatic process, rather than announcing an agreement, a date for negotiations or a scheduled direct meeting with U.S. officials. The remarks follow Pezeshkian’s October 21 statement that threats and sanctions had to be removed in practice to create conditions for dialogue. In that statement, he argued that increasing sanctions and pressure while closing channels for interaction was inconsistent with seeking negotiations. Monday’s reported comments did not set out a revised list of negotiating conditions. Israel’s stated nuclear requirements form part of the background to the diplomatic track. In a May 24 statement about a conversation with President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a final agreement must eliminate the Iranian nuclear danger. He specified dismantling enrichment facilities and removing enriched material from Iran, and reiterated that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons. Update • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on November 2 that consultations over indirect U.S.–Iran talks had intensified, with Qatar and Pakistan playing active mediation roles. He announced no agreement or start of implementation. • Araghchi said the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council had held consultations in Beijing covering regional affairs, security, and questions of peace and war.