Iranian Hard-Liners Send Positive Signals on Talks

Something unusual has happened in the wake of the recent Iran nuclear talks in Istanbul: Iran hardliners have taken to the Iranian media and Friday prayers to put a positive gloss on the talks and signal interest in a compromise.

Key figures from the Iranian regime—including the seldom-seen top foreign policy advisor to the Supreme Leader and the head of Iran's Guardian Council—have been strikingly upbeat in public pronouncements on the April 14th talks with the six nations that make up the so-called P5+1 group—the U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China and Germany. Iran watchers say those comments from a series of regime notables seem to form something of an orchestrated campaign, and could be a sign that Tehran is interested in striking a near-term compromise over curbing aspects of its nuclear work in exchange for averting new sanctions.

"There have been some indications recently that Iran is open to compromise," Alireza Nader, an Iran analyst at the Rand Corporation, told Al-Monitor Wednesday. "It makes sense for Iran to make some sort of compromise, such as shipping out the 20 percent enriched uranium, especially if the regime can claim victory by continuing enrichment at lower levels. So there is  a slight glimmer of hope."

"I think Iran wants a deal," Hossein Shahbazi, an Iran expert and academic in Washington, DC. , told Al-Monitor in an interview, adding that he thinks the regime is taking care to try to not undermine the relatively constructive atmosphere established at the Istanbul talks.