Iran orders nuclear talks with US as Trump expresses hope for deal amid rising tensions

Iranian President Pezeshkian orders start of nuclear talks with US

• Iran orders nuclear talks with US amid heightened tensions and recent protests
• Trump hopeful for a deal to prevent military action and regional escalation
• Iran seeks sanctions removal in nuclear program negotiations.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, while US President Donald Trump expressed hope for a deal to prevent military action, a source told state-affiliated Fars news agency.

The development follows heightened tensions after Iranian authorities responded violently to anti-government protests last month, prompting Trump to threaten military action and deploy an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.

“President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States,” the state-affiliated Fars news agency reported, citing an unnamed government source. “Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” the agency added, without specifying a date. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.

While insisting on diplomacy, Iran has warned of an unbridled response to any aggression. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran is studying proposals for negotiations, with messages relayed through regional intermediaries. “Several points have been addressed, and we are examining and finalising the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days,” Baqaei said.

Trump, meanwhile, has stated he is hopeful of reaching a deal. “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right," he said, responding to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warning that any US attack could trigger a regional war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran fully agrees with Trump on the goal of preventing nuclear weapons, adding, “Of course, in return, we expect sanctions lifting. So, that deal is possible. Let’s do not talk about impossible things.”

The US and Iran have so far conducted five rounds of talks. Tensions escalated after the US attacked three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan last year during the ‘12 Day War’ with Israel. Regional countries have been acting as intermediaries to facilitate communication between Tehran and Washington.

The ongoing protests in Iran, which began over the rising cost of living, have grown into a mass anti-government movement. Iranian authorities have reported 3,117 deaths, of which 2,986 names have been published, while the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has confirmed 6,842 deaths, most of them protesters.

Baqaei emphasised that Iran’s priority in negotiations is the removal of “unjust” sanctions, which would serve as a confidence-building measure for a diplomatic solution regarding the nuclear programme.