Internal rifts, profiteers threaten Iran-US talks

Two senior Iranian political figures warned that internal disunity and vested domestic interests could undermine negotiations with the United States, as officials from both sides resume contacts in Oman.

The talks should be treated as a national decision rather than a partisan initiative, said the former Deputy Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Ali Motahari.

“These talks are a decision by the entire system and must not be portrayed as imposed by one faction,” said Motahari, a conservative politician known for outspoken views, in an interview with Rouydad24 on Saturday.

Motahari pointed to the 2015 nuclear agreement as an example of what could be achieved through engagement but also how easily it could unravel.

“In the two years the JCPOA was implemented, we saw single-digit inflation and higher economic growth,” he said. “Let’s not allow partisan competition sabotage this round.”

The outcome of this round would signal whether “the negotiations are on a constructive track and whether the other side seeks a fair resolution or talks from a position of dominance,” he said.

From the Reformist camp, a former official also called for sidelining powerful domestic actors who benefit from Iran’s continued isolation.

“To advance negotiations and end sanctions, the government must disarm the so-called sanctions profiteers,” said Mohammad Hashemi, the brother of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in an interview with Khabar Online website.

Hashemi warned that these groups, though few in number, wield significant influence and have actively worked to destabilize the new government.

“Their power lies in chaos. Without confronting them, real progress is impossible,” he added.

He also offered a cautious assessment of US President Donald Trump.

“Trump has no credible track record. He tore up the nuclear deal and ordered the killing of IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani,” Hashemi said.

“But he’s also a businessman, not a warmonger. He prefers deals over war.”