US threats undermine its talk of peace, senior Iranian cleric says

The top diplomats were gathered in La Malbaie, Canada, to discuss a common strategy as the return of President Donald Trump has upended the relationship of de facto G7 leader the United States with its peers.

Their statement cited by Reuters said Iran was a principal driver of instability in the Middle East and urged Tehran to resolve the standoff over its disputed nuclear program through diplomacy.

It also criticized Iran's increasing use of what they called arbitrary detention and foreign assassination attempts as a means of coercion.

The G7 nations include the United States, Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan. The final draft of the foreign ministers' statement awaits formal approval ahead of expected publication later on Friday.

Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but the UN's nuclear watchdog last week pointed to a sharp rise in Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The United States and European Union said Iran's activities serve no credible civilian purpose and demanded it immediately desist.

Iran’s Supreme Leader on Wednesday said President Trump's past withdrawal from a nuclear deal renders diplomacy with him pointless now and vowed harsh retaliation to any attack by the United States or its allies.

The UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran revealed that Tehran has significantly expanded its efforts to control and restrict the rights of women and girls.

The report highlights how the government is leveraging technology to enforce strict hijab laws and criminalize activism, portraying these efforts as part of a broader strategy to stifle human rights advocacy.

“These repressive measures reflect the State’s ongoing persecutory conduct aimed at suppressing women and girls’ human rights and their right to equality,” the report published on Friday said.

Despite pre-election promises by President Masoud Pezeshkian to ease the enforcement of strict hijab laws, the government has increased its policing since last year. The Noor Plan has intensified surveillance and criminal prosecution of women who defy mandatory hijab rules, according to the report.

In April 2024, Iranian authorities deployed aerial drones in Tehran and southern Iran to monitor women's hijab compliance in public spaces. Additionally, facial recognition software was installed at the entrance of Amirkabir University in Tehran to track female students' adherence to hijab regulations.

A key element of the crackdown is the Nazer mobile application. Vetted individuals and police officers can use this app to report women suspected of hijab non-compliance in private vehicles, taxis, ambulances, and public transport. The app allows users to log the location, date, and time of incidents and submit vehicle license plate information. This triggers an automated message warning the vehicle's owner about the alleged violation and threatening impoundment for repeated offenses.

Sara Hossain, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said, “For two years, Iran has refused to adequately acknowledge the demands for equality and justice that fueled the protests in 2022. The criminalization, surveillance, and continued repression of protesters, families of victims, and survivors, in particular women and girls, is deeply worrying.”

Women human rights defenders and activists continue to face severe penalties, including fines, long prison sentences, and even the death penalty for peaceful activism. The report noted that at least 11 men and three women remain at risk of execution, amid concerns about torture, forced confessions, and unfair trials.

“The Government’s policies have denied victims in Iran the right to truth, justice, and reparations,” said Viviana Krsticevic, an expert member of the Mission. “Given the gravity of the violations in the country and the serious risk of recurring violence against those who express dissent or challenge the State and its policies, it is crucial for the Human Rights Council to continue supporting the victims in their search for redress and non-repetition.”

The report also noted how the Iranian government has expanded surveillance beyond its borders. Iranian activists and journalists abroad have been targeted through online harassment and threats.

Victims of torture and families of those killed in the protests have been intimidated to remain silent. Those who speak out, including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists, face threats and persecution. Many have been forced to flee the country.

Shaheen Sardar Ali, another expert member of the Mission, said, “It is imperative that comprehensive accountability measures also continue to be pursued outside the country.”

The Mission collected over 38,000 evidence items and interviewed 285 victims and witnesses. The report reaffirmed earlier findings of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including rape, torture, and deaths falsely labeled as suicides.

Security forces showed "little or no distinction" between adult and child protesters, subjecting children to the same brutal treatment, including torture and unfair trials.

Ethnic and religious minorities, including Kurds, Baluchis, and LGBTQ+ individuals, were particularly targeted during the protests. The Mission also investigated the roles of Iran’s key state entities, including the Revolutionary Guard, police, morality police, and judiciary, finding these bodies responsible for widespread human rights violations.

The Mission compiled a confidential list of alleged perpetrators, which it will submit to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

This report follows another released on Thursday by UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato, which condemned Iran for executing over 900 people in 2024, the highest number since 2015. Sato said, "Iran remains the highest per capita user of the death penalty globally."

Sato also criticized Iran’s new hijab law, which imposes harsh penalties, including up to 15 years in prison for women deemed non-compliant. "This law marks an unprecedented expansion of state control over women’s bodies and personal choices," she said.

The Fact-Finding Mission will present its full report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, March 18. The Mission urged the Council to appoint a new independent body to continue investigating human rights violations in Iran.

"In Dey (January), we broke the record for oil exports in over a decade; we are announcing this news to make our people happy," Paknejad told the Entekhab News Agency shortly before the sanctions announcement on Thursday.

He also said that Iran’s oil exports had remained steady, adding, "In the past few months, we have not seen any drop in crude oil exports."

Paknejad had made similar claims earlier this year, saying in January that Iran had reached a new high in oil exports.

Soon after Paknejad's comments, the US Treasury announced sanctions against him, accusing Iran’s oil ministry of sending billions of dollars to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other security forces. The move marks a major increase in Washington's efforts to cut off Iran’s oil revenues and force Tehran into talks over its nuclear program.

“The Iranian regime continues to use the proceeds from the nation’s vast oil resources to advance its narrow, alarming self-interests at the expense of the Iranian people,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "Treasury will fight and disrupt any attempts by the regime to fund its destabilizing activities and further its dangerous agenda."

The sanctions also included entities in China, the main buyer of Iranian oil, and in India accused of helping Iran trade oil through a "shadow fleet" of ships that avoid detection. The US has been trying to block Iran’s secret oil sales and reduce its economic influence.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the sanctions on Friday, calling them a "clear violation of international law." Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the sanctions showed the US was dishonest about its willingness to negotiate.

Successive rounds of US sanctions on tankers and companies involved in Iran's oil trade are slowing shipments to China, but trade with one of Iran's key allies continues in "dark mode" despite maximum pressure, according to Bloomberg.

Sanctions are affecting the trade by increasing costs and creating logistical hurdles, Bloomberg reported, citing Chinese refinery executives and shipping analysts.

In a separate report on Friday, Bloomberg said that the United States sanctioned Singapore-based Shipload Maritime Pte for its involvement in the Iranian oil trade—the first such case in the city-state. The US Department of State stated on March 13 that the company was penalized for "knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the transport of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran," related to a ship-to-ship transfer near Indonesia in December.

Following trilateral talks in Beijing on Friday, senior diplomats from China, Russia, and Iran issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to address the root causes of the nuclear standoff. They condemned "unlawful" unilateral sanctions and underscored that Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy must be fully respected.

The meeting was not held at the highest diplomatic level but was led by deputy foreign ministers. Russia's Sergei Ryabkov, Iran's Kazem Gharibabadi, and China's Ma Zhaoxu attended the talks at the Diaoyutai State Guest House on Friday.

"(China, Russia, and Iran) emphasized that the relevant parties should be committed to addressing the root cause of the current situation and abandoning sanctions, pressure, or threats of force," said China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu.

Iran says Russia and China back limiting talks to nuclear issue

Iran, Russia, and China have agreed that future negotiations will focus solely on Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions, with no other issues on the table, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, announced after the trilateral meeting in Beijing.

"Any negotiations and discussions will be exclusively centered on the nuclear issue and the removal of sanctions," Gharibabadi said during a press conference following the meeting.

A major point of contention in the broader negotiation process has been whether discussions should expand to include Iran's missile program and its regional activities—issues that Washington insists must be addressed in any future agreement. However, Tehran and Moscow have firmly rejected this approach.

"Negotiations should not include Iran’s missile program or its regional influence," Russia’s envoy to the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said last week in an interview with BBC Persian. "Adding these topics would complicate the process and make it unmanageable."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also criticized Washington's stance, warning that efforts to attach additional conditions to the agreement would fail. "This is not going to fly," Lavrov said, emphasizing Moscow's position that negotiations must remain limited to the original nuclear framework.

Trump says talks or risk of military action

The meeting comes as tensions rise between Tehran and Washington. The US has recently pushed for Iran to resume nuclear talks, but Iran has resisted, citing ongoing sanctions and perceived threats.

Last week, US President Donald Trump reiterated his stance on how to deal with Iran, saying, "There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal." In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian firmly rejected any dialogue under pressure, saying Iran "would not bow to US orders to talk."

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, indicated Tehran's openness to indirect negotiations via Oman. "Indirect negotiation is feasible... What is important is that the will to negotiate and reach a fair and just agreement comes up in equal conditions," Araghchi said in an interview. Oman has historically served as a diplomatic channel between Tehran and Washington.

However, Araghchi emphasized that "entering negotiations under maximum pressure will lead to negotiations from a position of weakness."

Meanwhile, concerns over Iran's nuclear activities have grown. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently warned that Tehran has dramatically accelerated uranium enrichment, approaching weapons-grade levels. Iran has denied seeking nuclear weapons but acknowledged increased enrichment as a response to US pressure.

A closed-door UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, requested by six members including the US, Britain, and France, discussed Iran's compliance with nuclear regulations. Tehran criticized the meeting as a "misuse" of the Security Council.

China and Russia, both key stakeholders in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have reiterated their commitment to restoring the deal, which Trump withdrew from in 2018. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Washington's efforts to attach additional conditions to a future agreement, warning that it "is not going to fly."

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning emphasized restraint. "In the current situation, we believe that all parties should maintain calm and restraint to avoid escalating the Iran nuclear situation or walking towards confrontation and conflict," she said on Thursday.

As diplomatic tensions escalate, Beijing has called for enhanced cooperation to "increase mutual trust and dispel misgivings," while Russia has positioned itself as a potential mediator.

This apparent change came shortly after Tehran acknowledged receiving a letter from President Donald Trump, which reportedly outlined the terms of a possible agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and, potentially, other issues, including Tehran’s regional proxies.

As these developments gain momentum, many seem to have overlooked Iran’s scheduled participation in trilateral negotiations with Russia and China in Beijing on Friday. Meanwhile, Russia’s offer to mediate between Tehran and Washington remains on the table, with neither side having rejected it thus far.

Araghchi’s suggestion that indirect negotiations would be a “natural solution” for reaching a deal with Washington may also indicate that Iran is aiming to buy time. The strategy could be to push past the October deadline for the reactivation of the UN trigger mechanism, which would reinstate all previous international sanctions against Iran. Additionally, Iran may be looking ahead to the 2028 US election, hoping to outlast the Trump administration, with which it remains reluctant to engage in direct talks.

Araghchi’s suggestion of Oman as a possible mediator may lead observers to overlook why Qatar, the UAE, and possibly Russia have been sidelined as potential mediators—and why Tehran is now proposing indirect talks in Muscat.

Qatar’s leaders may already be preoccupied with issues related to Gaza, Syria, and Afghanistan, leaving little capacity to take on another complex diplomatic challenge. At the same time, Iran’s handling of Qatar’s recent mediation efforts suggests a degree of distrust. When the Qatari emir delivered a message to Tehran earlier this month, Khamenei largely dismissed it, instead questioning why Qatar has not released Iran’s oil revenues from South Korea frozen in Doha under a US arrangement.

Meanwhile, Iran is unlikely to trust the UAE as a diplomatic intermediary, given its close alliance with Saudi Arabia and the ongoing territorial dispute over three islands in the Persian Gulf.

Furthermore, many politicians in Tehran, including Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the former head of the parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, as well as several centrist and conservative newspapers such as Jomhouri Eslami, have repeatedly questioned Moscow's goodwill as a mediator. They argue that Russia is primarily focused on its own interests rather than genuinely helping Iran navigate a major foreign policy and economic crisis.

Notably, Nour News, a media outlet close to Iran’s Supreme Council of National Security, revealed that Russia refused to deliver Trump's message to Tehran, reportedly objecting to its content. Instead, Moscow passed the task on to the UAE.

At the same time, Iranian officials see indirect negotiations as an effective way to buy time and wait for a more favorable international climate. With the Iranian delegation in one room and US representatives in another, and Omani mediators shuttling messages between them, the process could stretch on for months, if not years. Meanwhile, shifting developments and ad-hoc decisions in Tehran and Washington could continuously delay and extend the talks.

Iranian media have made it clear over the past week that China and Russia have little interest in finalizing a deal between Tehran and Washington. Meanwhile, the low level of officials participating in the upcoming talks further diminishes any hope for a breakthrough.

Instead of sending a senior negotiator like career diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran is dispatching Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi to Beijing—a lower-profile figure with less influence to advance the discussions.

Whether Iran can navigate multiple diplomatic channels to buy time remains uncertain. Its ability to do so depends on whether it can manage the country’s worsening economic crisis, stave off a major socio-political upheaval, and counter the growing pressure from European countries, some of which have signaled their intent to activate the UN trigger mechanism—all while the clock continues to run out.