Iranian officials warned Khamenei: Rejecting nuclear talks with US could threaten regime’s survival

They emphasized that Iran could not survive the war with the US and Israel, given the plunging currency, troubled economy, and shortages of gas, electricity, and water.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Top Tehran officials warned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to agree to nuclear talks with the US or face the downfall of the regime.

Although Khamenei had previously refused to hold discussions with the US about its nuclear program, two officials, who requested to remain anonymous, said they took the unprecedented step of persuading him to change his position.

They directly told the Supreme Leader that the future of the regime was at stake if he continued to refuse to engage in negotiations with the US.

They emphasized that Iran could not survive the war with the US and Israel, given the plunging currency, troubled economy, and shortages of gas, electricity, and water.

The officials believed that a refusal to engage in talks could lead the US or Israel to bomb the nuclear sites of Natanz and Fordow.

The attack on Iran’s nuclear site would require a response resulting in a war that would threaten the country’s resources, lead to civil strife, and the downfall of the regime.

The officials persuaded Khameini to agree to talks with the US, which would be indirect at first and eventually face-to-face if things went well.

Talks between the US and Iran began on Saturday night between intermediaries in Oman and will continue next Saturday.

“Khamenei’s turnaround demonstrates his long-held core principle that ‘preserving the regime is the most necessary of the necessities,'” said Hossein Mousavian, a former diplomat who served on Iran’s nuclear negotiating team on a 2015 deal.

Saturday’s meeting between US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to hash out the impasse on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program yielded “very positive and constructive” discussions, the White House said on Saturday.

“Special Envoy Witkoff underscored to Dr. Araghchi that he had instructions from President Trump to resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy if that is possible,” the White House said in a statement.

“These issues are very complicated, and Special Envoy Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome.”