Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader
Iran’s Currency Sinks Below 1,000,000:1 v. US Dollar
UPDATE 1541 GMT:
Iran’s embattled currency has rebounded around 6% with news of the forthcoming talks with the US.
The rial closed at 1,000,250:1 v. the US dollar on Tuesday, up from its historic low of 1,062,000:1.
The currency had dropped by around 35% since late November.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: The Trump Administration and Iran will hold discussions in Oman on Saturday about Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran State media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will lead the Iranian delegation while Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, will lead the Americans.
Trump declared the discussions as “direct” in an appearance alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. But Iranian authorities maintained, as they have for weeks, that negotiations will be “indirect” with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi as intermediary.
Araqchi posted on social media:
Iran and the United States will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect high-level talks.
It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America's court.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 7, 2025
Trump said in the White House press appearance:
We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started. It’ll go on Saturday.
We’re dealing with them directly and maybe a deal is going to be made. Doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious.
Asked if he would pursue military action if the negotiations were unsuccessful, Trump responded, “Iran is going to be in great danger, and I hate to say it.”
In May 2018, the first Trump Administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (US, France, Germany, UK, China, and Russia). Declaring “maximum pressure”, it imposed comprehensive sanctions on Tehran six months later.
The measures have helped cripple Iran’s economy. However, Tehran is now enriching uranium up to 60%, compared to the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 deal. That 60% fuel could be further enriched to a military grade of more than 90%.
Since taking office in January, Trump has swung between threatening Iran and declaring his desire for a high-profile deal. Last month he sent a letter to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, via Oman. He emphasized:
There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran.
Khamenei responded with an apparent rejection: “The insistence on the part of some bully states on negotiations is not to resolve issues, but to dominate and impose their own expectations. The Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely not accept their demands.”
But Iran’s economic woes have intensified since then, with rising inflation, high unemployment, chronic problems with infrastructure, and a historically-low currency.
The rial has lost almost 35% of its value since late November, and is now 1,061,000:1 v. the US dollar.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, “We do not seek war, unrest and nuclear bomb. We seek negotiations, but the Americans must also prove that they seek negotiations.”
Iran wants to explore interim nuclear deal in talks with U.S., sources say: https://www.axios.com/2025/04/10/iran-nuclear-deal-us-interim-agreement
“Iran is considering proposing during talks with the U.S. that the two countries work on an interim nuclear agreement before pursuing negotiations over a comprehensive deal, a European diplomat and a source familiar with the issue told Axios. Between the lines: An interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran could include suspending some of Iran’s uranium enrichment activity, diluting its 60% enriched uranium stockpile and allowing UN inspectors more access to Iran’s nuclear facilities. An interim agreement would likely also include demand from Iran that Trump suspend his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran’s economy. It is not clear if Trump would be willing to do that.”
It comes as NYT report, Farnaz Fassihi, cites “anonymous Iranian officials” claiming that Khamenei was persuaded to back negotiations with the United States despite priorly insisting they were useless: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/world/middleeast/us-iran-talks-trump-khamenei.html
“If Iran refused talks or if the negotiations failed, the officials told Mr. Khamenei, military strikes on Iran’s two main nuclear sites, Natanz and Fordow, would be inevitable…….At the end of an hours-long meeting, Mr. Khamenei relented. He granted his permission for talks, first indirect, through an intermediary, and then, if things proceeded well, for direct talks between U.S. and Iranian negotiators, the two officials said……Mr. Khamenei appointed several of his top advisers and confidants — Kamal Kharazi on foreign policy, Ali Larijani on strategy and Mohammad Forouzandeh on military matters — to manage negotiations with Washington in close coordination with the foreign ministry.”
All three advisors are known for being pragmatists rather than “hardliners” , the first being Khatami’s foreign minister.
Why Trump’s Iran Diplomacy May Work: https://time.com/7276739/trump-iran-diplomacy-oman/?mc_cid=8e0b5223c7
“Several factors suggest Trump’s diplomatic push could succeed. Both sides have strong incentives to reach a deal. Despite his aggressive talk and military posturing, Trump cannot afford another major war in the Middle East. He has long been a candidate who promises to bring U.S. troops home—not entangle them in a new war. Influential MAGA figures like Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and others have also come out strongly against a military strike on Iran. For its part, Iran’s struggling economy urgently needs sanctions relief. European powers are likely to re-impose U.N. Security Council “snapback” sanctions before October under the 2015 nuclear deal, increasing Iran’s economic woes. Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, a moderate, was elected on a platform of negotiating with the U.S. to lift sanctions and revive the economy. His presidency hinges on his ability to deliver on this promise.”
“Instead of the Libya-style dismantlement, Witkoff has advocated for a verification-based approach—the foundation of former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal. This type of agreement emphasizes limiting and inspecting Iran’s nuclear program rather than eliminating it entirely. Iran has accepted such a framework before and has signaled its willingness to do so again. Tehran seems convinced that Trump genuinely wants a deal and is both willing and able to offer meaningful sanctions relief to achieve it. In contrast, Iranian officials saw Biden as lacking the urgency and political will to do the same. “To Biden,” one Iranian official told me at the time, “offering us sanctions relief was as painful as peeling off his own skin.”
Witkoff Says U.S. Open to Compromise Ahead of Iran Nuclear Talks: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/steve-witkoff-interview-iran-nuclear-talks-e41e0114
Rob Malley Cheers Trump Nuclear Talks With Iran : https://freebeacon.com/national-security/rob-malley-cheers-trump-nuclear-talks-with-iran/
“Biden was lukewarm about a deal; Trump is eager,” Malley said. Biden fixates on domestic politics; Trump couldn’t care less. Biden was calculating; Trump, impulsive.Trump is throwing caution, prudence and logic to the wind which is why there is probably a greater chance of some kind of understanding now than there ever was under the prior administration.”
Is this your attempt to divert attention from “rahbareh farzaneh or as you say aghaa”(sl) getting on his knees getting ready to deliver a blow job? Even your omaateh goosaleh can see that
Argentina Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrant Khamenei
https://iranwire.com/en/news/140234-argentina-prosecutor-seeks-arrest-warrant-for-khamenei/
“…But Iranian authorities maintained, as they have for weeks, that negotiations will be “indirect”….”
araghchi is taking his mirror along so he can look through it at the opponents
Disarm Proxies, Dissolve Authority: Ex-Ambassador Reveals Trump’s Demands to Iran
https://iranwire.com/en/politics/140157-disarm-proxies-dissolve-authority-ex-ambassador-reveals-trumps-demands-to-iran/