Have last week’s promising nuclear talks in Geneva between Iran and the 5+1 Powers already given way to frustration and distrust?

On Tuesday, the Supreme Leader’s office tweeted:

But who could Ayatollah Khamenei, using a speech from 2006, be talking about in 2013?

Cue Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Parliament: they criticized Wendy Sherman, the lead US nuclear negotiator, over comments on October 3 to a Congressional hearing.

Sherman had cautioned the legislators, as she talked of the need to build confidence in talks, “We know that deception is part of [Iranian] DNA.”

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham responded on Tuesday:

The two sides should maintain the sound atmosphere of the negotiations smartly and vigilantly and avoid irrelevant discussions which don’t help to the trend.

If Ms. Sherman’s political statements and expressions resemble what has been quoted from her, then doubt should be cast over her other remarks.

Parliament’s National Security Commission declared, “Repetition of such rhetoric by the US officials will lead to the Iranian nation and government’s distrust of the US.”

The head of the Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said, “US politics basically rests upon deception and fraud, and they regard other countries as liars.”

MP Siamak Marreh Sedq, a representative of Iran’s Jewish community, added, “The remarks by the US undersecretary of state is not worth a reaction and she is a stupid and unwise person and her remarks are far from logic and reason.”

What is intriguing is the timing of the Iranian criticism. Sherman’s testimony to Congress was 12 days before last week’s high-level nuclear talks in Geneva, which were hailed as “very useful” and “very positive” by both the 5+1 Powers and Iran. The discussions included a 30-minute bilateral session between Sherman and her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi.

So why lash out at the US negotiator now?

Is it just a bit of pressure on Washington? Or is there concern in Tehran that the US is backing away from consideration of Iran’s proposals over uranium enrichment and sanctions?