Iran's president has instructed his top diplomat to "pursue fair and equitable negotiations" with the U.S., in the first clear sign Tehran seeks to talk amid high tensions following a crackdown on protests last month.
The announcement Tuesday marked a major turn for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had broadly warned Iranians for weeks that the turmoil in his country had gone beyond his control.
It also signals that the president received support from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for talks that the 86-year-old cleric had previously dismissed.
Türkiye had been working behind the scenes to make the talks happen there later this week as U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling in the region.
But whether Iran and the U.S. can reach an agreement remains to be seen, particularly after President Donald Trump included Iran's nuclear program in a list of demands from Tehran in any talks. Trump ordered the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June.
