On March 21, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced what appeared to be a shift in his policy toward direct, bilateral negotiations with the US when he said that although he was not optimistic about negotiations with America, he was also not opposed to them.
This was a step forward from his comments just last month when, parallel with his consistent position, he harshly rejected Vice President Joe Biden's offer of direct talks. He had said, “You aim the gun at the Iranian nation and then say, ‘Negotiate or I shoot!’ But you should know that pressure and negotiation are not compatible.”
