Trump's real concern in Iran talks is Israel's security, senior Iranian official says

Iran's diplomatic apparatus has been in communication with Donald Trump's team for the past two years, focusing solely on the nuclear issue during these contacts, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee said on Sunday.

Mohammad Mahdi Shahriari suggested this long-term communication channel demonstrated the "smartness" of Iran's diplomacy.

"During these meetings, the other side only raised the nuclear issue," Shahriari was quoted as saying.

He added that first-hand and precise information was gathered from these contacts over months and was provided directly to Supreme Leader and the country's diplomatic apparatus.

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Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities made the United States enter into negotiations, the Kayhan newspaper, which is seen as reflecting the views of Supreme Leader's office, argued in its analysis.

In an article on Sunday titled "Negotiation and the History Ahead," the hardline daily characterized negotiations, sanctions, and war as a historical toolkit used by "colonialists" to exert pressure, suggesting that unrealistic threats, or bluffs, are the most effective component of this strategy.

“They don’t have the stomach for another war – they only scare to gain concessions.”

The article also criticized what it called the "dual behavior of some insiders," accusing them of labeling critics who advocate for preserving national interests as "sanctions profiteers" while allegedly profiting from market volatility themselves.

Kayhan said that this group uses the ongoing negotiations as a pretext to manipulate Iran's economy by making it conditional on external factors and to deceive the public.

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The Islamic Republic is compelled to yield to demands made by the United States in ongoing negotiations primarily because the US retains the option of military action, according to Jalil Roshandel, a professor of international relations.

Roshandel told Iran International that the goals in the talks see Tehran seeking relief from sanctions and financial difficulties, while Washington aims to strip Iran of any military capability.

Roshandel said that “the potential for a US military strike always exists over the Islamic Republic's head," serving as an enforcement mechanism for US demands."It is for this reason that the Islamic Republic is forced to submit to America's demands.”

A senior Iranian foreign ministry official is set to brief lawmakers on recent nuclear negotiations in Rome.

"Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy foreign minister, would attend the committee’s afternoon session to provide a report," said Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee.

Rezaei told reporters the briefing would focus on the course and outcomes of the talks with the United States.

The United States conceded to all of Tehran’s positions during recent nuclear negotiations, said an Iranian lawmaker on Sunday.

“Our negotiating team said whatever we asked for, the Americans accepted,” Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari, a member of parliament’s national security committee, was quoted as saying by Iranian media.

This comes as talks between Washington and Tehran continue while no details have been confirmed by US officials.