A top official in Iran has backtracked from his earlier support for direct talks with the United States under criticism, but the general mood remained supportive.
Of those who had openly supported the idea since Monday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and national security chief Ali Shamkhani came under fire by hardliner Kayhan newspaper affiliated with the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Although Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had said on January 9 that he had no objection to direct talks if circumstances so required, he did not back the supporters or opponents of the idea as controversy flared up this week.
This is consistent with his behavior in the past when he quickly distanced himself from some of his statements and refused to publicly take side with any particular argument. Although he allowed nuclear negotiations in 2013, he was quick to distance himself from the policy when Iran encountered problems.
Ali Shamkhani on Thursday phoned Kayhan to say that he has never wanted and would never want direct talks with the United States. Iranian officials habitually backtrack from their problematic statements and usually blame the media for misreporting what they had said.
Amir-Abdollahian has apparently not changed his mind yet and maintains his previous view about "a balanced approach to foreign relations" that means maintaining ties with the United States as well as with Russia and China.
Referring to supportive statements by parliamentarians such as the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Spokesman Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini about the need for holding direct talks with America, reformist daily Sharq on Thursday speculated that the Iranian Parliament (Majles) generally supports the idea. The committee's chairman Vahid Jalazadeh also said that the United States is standing at the door of the 4+1 meetings and that now the doors could open and let America in if the situation so required.
According to Sharq, the Islamic Republic's difficult economic situation is the main reason why some of Iran's hardliner lawmakers are now agreeing with direct talks with the United States. Sharq wrote that the Foreign Ministry spokesman's statement on Monday regarding the possibility of quick release of a quick prisoner exchange and the latest statements by the foreign minister and President Ebrahim Raisi have been taken by some MPs as a green light for direct talks with the United States.
Iran Diplomacy, a website close to the Iranian foreign ministry on Wednesday pointed out that calls for making direct contact with the United States started after Raisi's recent visit to Russia. The report implied that the decision is possibly the outcome of consultations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, reporters close to the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that on Monday, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian cancelled a news conference at the ministry and rushed to meet with the state's highest official, meaning Khamenei, to discuss matters relating to the JCPOA. Without naming Khamenei, the media in Tehran speculate that he has probably ordered Amir-Abdollahian to put forward the idea of direct talks with America, which the foreign minister did in a meeting with the press later that day.
Sharq quoted another lawmaker, Gholamreza Marhaba as saying that "Apart from Israel, we have no red line in foreign policy. Now that the Majles and the government both are from the same camp, we are certain that this unity can be fruitful under the supervision of the president and the Supreme Leader. We can now interact with the world including the United States. America has power and technology, and this could be useful for our country, on the condition that the United States enters into negotiations with us with goodwill."