Is Iran's Khamenei signaling readiness for new deal as Trump threat looms large?
Iran's supreme leader appears to be exercising pragmatism and reintroducing his "heroic flexibility," as his top aide says the stalled nuclear deal was "not written in stone" and that Tehran remains open to a new accord with the incoming Trump administration.
TEHRAN — Iran's supreme leader has sent a signal of compromise and de-escalation to the new US government amid the looming prospect of mounting pressure on Tehran following the return to the White House of Donald Trump.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's gesture was expressed by his senior aide, Ali Larijani, a moderate politician and veteran negotiator, in comments published by the supreme leader's official website on Thursday.
In the lengthy interview, Larijani elaborated on Iran's regional policies and particularly its tensions with the United States surrounding the 2018 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The accord has been in tatters since 2018, as then-President Trump pulled his country out, reimposing a crippling sanctions regime on Tehran, notably with his "maximum pressure" campaign.
