Iran says lifting sanctions key demand in talks

Iran's hardline Kayhan newspaper, managed by a representative of the Supreme Leader, warned that the ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States could be a prelude to further talks on Iran's missile capabilities and regional influence.

In an analysis on Monday, Kayhan suggested that the US seeks to limit any regional power that could rival Israel. The paper argued that the US views the nuclear talks as a means to open the door for negotiations on what it called other components of Iran's power, a scenario it believes would make the country vulnerable to attack.

Kayhan rhetorically asked why an enemy would not attack an Iran that lacked nuclear, missile, and drone capabilities, and had abandoned its regional allies in negotiations.

The commentary also cautioned against being deceived by superficial progress in the nuclear talks, warning that it could be a trap to draw Iran into endless negotiations. To counter this, the paper stressed the necessity of establishing clear red lines in the current talks, securing strong guarantees, and seeing verifiable commitment from the other side.

A draft executive order circulating among US diplomats proposes the elimination of dozens of positions at the State Department including the office of Special Envoy for Iran and the transfer of its functions to Special Envoys to Middle East and the Iran Desk under MEC, according to the document first seen by The New York Times.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the document which was later obtained by several other mainstream media as "fake news".

However, the Trump administration has not appointed a new envoy for Iran since his inauguration, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff has been in charge of nuclear talks with Tehran.

Iran's IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri says the United States is "incapable" of challenging the Islamic Republic's maritime dominance.

“We have built a vessel that is better than similar American models; when the time comes, we might unveil it,” he added in a televised interview on Sunday,

Tangsiri also vowed “decisive retaliation” against any aggression toward Iran's oil tankers or territorial waters.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis briefed him on the latest talks with the United States, and praised Switzerland's role in 2011 nuclear negotiations between Tehran and world powers.

Cassis, in turn, expressed his country’s readiness to provide any kind of assistance in this regard, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's readout of the call.

Switzerland represents US interests in Iran since Washington and Tehran cut ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In another phone call on Sunday, Araghchi also briefed his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar on the latest developments in Iran-US talks.

Touraj Atabaki, a senior researcher at the International Institute of Social History, says analyzing China's role in the negotiations between Tehran and Washington is simpler than analyzing Russia’s approach.

“China wants the Red Sea waterway to remain a steady route for its growing trade, and is currently pleased that, thanks to the efforts of the United States, the Houthis' activities have decreased," he told Iran International.

Atabaki added, “China is very eager that Iran-US negotiations can prevent a potential Israeli or American war against the Islamic Republic, so that its relationship with the Persian Gulf countries can progress, and along with that, the famed and historic Silk Road can reach a successful outcome.”