Calls for US talks grow as Khamenei adviser urges 'maximum patience'

While a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader rejected talks with the United States and urged Iranians to exercise "maximum patience" in response to US "maximum pressure," others called for restraint and diplomacy.

The diversity of views suggests the ruling establishment has yet to either decisively welcome or reject US President Donald Trump's overture for diplomacy.

Iranian media quoted Kamal Kharrazi, chairman of the Strategic Council of Foreign Relations that advises Ayatollah Khamenei, as saying to Iraq's al-Yum newspaper that "US and Israel's pressure will not stop Iran's nuclear program" and ruled out negotiations with Washington "as long as America's unilateralism" continues.

At the congress of the Reformist Mardom Salari Party on the same day, Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi criticized the government's and parliament’s decision-making, saying it has not solved any problem. He urged Tehran to "avoid challenging regional and global powers, as this can be costly for Iran."

He explained that "Trump has questioned all the democratic standards of the West and we need to run the country's affairs in this situation."

Meanwhile, he warned Iran's hardliners against challenging President Masoud Pezeshkian, cautioning that "if he is undermined, there will be no one left to address the country's problems."

In a separate development on the same day, prominent Reformist Behzad Nabavi cautioned the government that "Iran's economic situation is dire, and the country cannot afford to delay negotiations with the United States for another four years" until Trump leaves the White House.

However, according to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), Nabavi acknowledged that while Iran's economic crisis requires urgent action, Tehran cannot rush into negotiations with Trump.

He proposed that Iran should first engage in talks with Europe to gradually ease the sanctions that have devastated the economy. "At the same time, we need to reach a cease-fire with the United States," ILNA quoted him as saying. However, he did not specify what Europe could offer Iran or how Tehran could persuade Trump to wait until it is ready for negotiations.

President Donald Trump reinstated his “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran in February, demanding a deal that would permanently prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

However, Nabavi noted that a short-term solution for Iran's problems requires lifting the sanctions, but if that is not possible Tehran should resort to rationing foodstuff and essential commodities to limit the impact of sanctions.

As Iran’s currency has fallen by around 50% since September, prices of essential necessities have skyrocketed in recent weeks and more inflation is expected in the coming months. The overall consensus in the Iranian media is that the country faces harsh challenges and the government seems unable to find more money to finance imports.

In a related development, conservative daily Jomhouri Eslami cautioned Iranian officials against trusting Russia.

Following Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Tehran, the newspaper warned, "We cannot make yet another mistake. Do not trust Russia!"

The daily argued that it would be a mistake for Iran's foreign ministry to trust a foreign power that "has proven unreliable" in past experiences, including during nuclear negotiations, the Ukraine war, Syria before Assad's fall, and disputes over Iran's ownership of three Persian Gulf islands.

Jomhouri Eslami suggested that contrary to official statements, Lavrov's visit was linked to a major deal between the United States and Russia and could impact the future of Iran-US relations.

The editorial also criticized Iran's state-run news agencies for their "misleading reporting practices," accusing them of focusing on irrelevant details rather than the substantive outcomes of talks with foreign officials. It warned that this approach "erodes public trust in Iranian media" and drives audiences to seek news about Iran from foreign outlets, calling this shift "a significant loss."