Playing a weaker hand? Iran's strategic recalibration for nuclear talks
Tehran is weighing diplomacy against strategic ambiguity, seeking to revive nuclear negotiations, rally the Global South and preserve regime survival without surrendering core redlines.
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6 min read
Cooler heads continue to prevail in Tehran and keep the option of negotiations on the table.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated Iran’s position which remains interest-based for now, with careful assessments being made to see how Tehran can best navigate a renewal of talks with the U.S. and use growing sympathy in the global south to impose political costs on Western powers.
The latter believe that Iran’s weakened state will push it to accept broader restrictions and review past redlines such as domestic uranium enrichment or missile production.
While facts on the ground have changed with nuclear sites being largely damaged, Iran’s negotiating principles remain intact and will pursue the same goals of ensuring the lifting of sanctions and domestic enrichment in exchange for strict safeguards guaranteeing that nuclear weaponisation will never happen.
Shielding diplomacy from hardline criticism
Confidential
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