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Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has granted “powers” to the government for its negotiations with the United States aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday.
“We are striving to resolve the issue through dialogue. In this regard, the Supreme Leader has also conferred certain powers on the government,” Pezeshkian said, according to the state news agency IRNA. He did not say, in the remarks as reported, what the powers include or how far they extend.
Pezeshkian spoke shortly after Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran was exchanging messages with Washington through mediators. The ministry’s statement indicates that contacts between the two governments remain indirect.
In Iran’s political system, the supreme leader has the final say on major questions of state, including foreign policy and national security. Elected officials such as the president generally operate within limits he sets, which makes any public delegation of authority over a negotiation politically significant.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in remarks reported over the weekend that Qatar-mediated talks had produced a “two-day plan.” Under it, the United States would take a set of steps on the first day, and the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the second. The proposal is a shortened version of an earlier seven-day plan, and the United States has not publicly accepted it.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the war would end “very soon,” but on Monday he again raised the prospect of military action. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump has not decided on new strikes and prefers a diplomatic resolution. Iran’s army spokesman warned that any renewed war could spread beyond the Middle East and last much longer than the previous conflict.
The conflict continues to weigh on shipping and energy markets. Oil prices remain above $100 a barrel, with Brent crude trading around $111 on Monday. Reports of attacks on tankers in Gulf waters have added to concerns over the safety of one of the world’s most important oil routes.
Neither Tehran nor Washington has announced a breakthrough, and it is not clear when the next round of contacts will take place.
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