US Senate foreign relations chair warns Iran over uranium enrichment

However, none of these "supreme" authorities have officially confirmed that they have authorized negotiations with the United States regarding Iran's nuclear program or other contentious issues, such as Tehran's interventions in regional countries.

In recent days, Pezeshkian has conveyed Tehran's willingness to engage in talks with the U.S., but Khamenei’s hardline allies have strongly criticized both his remarks and those of other officials. This has raised an important question: Does the President have Khamenei’s approval to pursue negotiations with the Trump administration?

It is widely acknowledged in Iranian politics that Khamenei holds ultimate authority over military and foreign policy, meaning his full approval would be necessary for the President to initiate significant negotiations with major powers.

Foreign policy analyst Abdolreza Faraji-Rad told the Khabar Online website in Tehran, "When Iran's President or other senior officials express readiness to negotiate with the United States, it does not imply that they made that decision independently. Rather, it signals that the issue has already been discussed at the Supreme National Security Council," which is the country's highest-ranking decision-making body after Supreme Leader Khamenei.

Faraji-Rad noted that failing to negotiate with Trump would likely lead the United States to increase pressure on Iran and further sanctions would be imposed on Iran's oil exports. He argued that initiating negotiations would be the right course of action. He also suggested that the Iranian Foreign Ministry would likely be assigned the responsibility of advancing these talks.

Meanwhile, he criticized the government's political rivals for hindering its initiative. However, the Iranian government has yet to take any practical steps in this direction, even though hardliners in Iran remained largely silent on the issue during the first two days following Trump’s inauguration.

Former lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh expressed pessimism on Tuesday, suggesting that Pezeshkian might not yet have the necessary approval. However, by Wednesday, Falahatpisheh appeared to soften his stance, writing about Europe’s potential role as a mediator in talks with Washington.

Meanwhile, while the ultraconservatives were generally silent during the past two days, some other elements such as Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib fueled doubts about whether Pezeshkian has the go-ahead for negotiations. Khatib warned against yielding to calls for negotiations with the Trump administration, saying "it could leave Tehran at a disadvantage."

Reformist politician and commentator Fayyaz Zahed also shared with the press in Tehran that, based on his assessment of the relationship between the President and the Supreme Leader, "Pezeshkian has received the green light to initiate negotiations." He added that "Pezeshkian is now seeking a dignified way to carry out this task."

Under growing regional and economic pressure over the past six months, the Islamic Republic has been mocked by opposition groups and many Iranians on social media for wasting decades and hundreds of billions of dollars on its controversial nuclear program and meddling in regional countries. These policies, they argue, have resulted in years of devastating sanctions. Now, with Donald Trump at the helm, critics highlight that the authorities are forced to appeal for talks with Washington.

Zahed added, "All politicians in Iran have reached the conclusion that the country's foreign policy strategy needs to be revised." He continued, "There is currently no obstacle to the decision to negotiate." Additionally, Zahed described Pezeshkian's ultraconservative political rivals as "cartoon characters inflated like balloons."

Former Labor Minister Mohammad Salamati told the press, "Pezeshkian has the backing of the entire political system in his call to start negotiations with America." Highlighting that Trump is also open to dialogue with Iran, Salamati added, "It is now up to us to take the initiative, start direct negotiations with Washington, and strive for favorable outcomes."

He also noted, "Pezeshkian's political rivals cannot prevent this as long as the President has the nation's support." Additionally, Salamati remarked, "Even the Vietnamese secured concessions through negotiations with the United States after the Vietnam War."

Pro-reform Arman Melli Daily suggested that Europe could play a key mediation role in the talks between Tehran and Washington, while the centrist Daily cautioned that Pezeshkian's domestic political rivals pose a greater threat than Trump. Meanwhile, Ham Mihan noted that with Trump’s return, Iran’s foreign policy has entered one of its most complex periods. The report emphasized, however, that Iran must engage in serious negotiations with the United States, as the country faces one of its most severe economic crises.

"The most relevant question is Iran and relations between Iran, Israel and the United States," Antonio Guterres said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, referring to Iran's two archenemies with which Iran has no diplomatic ties.

"Here my hope is that the Iranians understand that it is important to once and for all make it clear that they will renounce to have nuclear weapons, at the same time that they engage constructively with the other countries of the region."

His comments come as a top Iranian official said Monday that Tehran's nuclear program remains central to strengthening national security and deterring international threats.

“Over the years, adversaries have tried to weaken Iran’s progress in this field and entangle the country in international conflicts,” said Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), during a military conference in Tehran on Monday.

Iranian hardliners have previously advocated for developing nuclear weapons as a deterrent. After Israeli airstrikes on October 26, Javan, a newspaper linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), called on Tehran to consider pursuing nuclear arms to counter external threats.

In October of the previous year, in the wake of the Gaza war sparked by Iran-backed Hamas, 39 Iranian lawmakers urged the Supreme National Security Council to reassess the nation's defense strategy and explore the potential adoption of nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, newly sworn-in US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Congress that President Donald Trump intends to pursue the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on Iran, which were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Tehran has voiced concerns that the Trump administration could embolden Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to contemplate strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, exacerbating the already volatile security situation in the region.

On Tuesday, the former chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee told local media on Tuesday that despite Pezeshkian’s public openness to engage in talks with the US, there is no sign that higher authorities have given their consent.

In Iran, the term "higher authority" when referring to the president typically means either Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or the National Security Council, which is largely composed of Khamenei's appointees.

“Unless higher authorities grant permission for negotiations, occasional signals of openness toward the US will do little to protect the country’s interests,” Falahatpisheh said regarding Pezeshkian’s recent NBC interview.

The commentator noted that, despite Tehran being a high-priority issue for the new administration, President Donald Trump has yet to unveil his strategy for dealing with the country.

In recent weeks, numerous Iranian officials, media outlets, and commentators have begun advocating for talks as then-President elect Trump edged closer to returning to the White House. Iran's already dire economic situation has deteriorated further since September, sparking concerns in Tehran that Trump may intensify US sanctions, exacerbating pressure on the Islamic Republic.

It remains unclear whether President Trump will impose new sanctions, enhance the enforcement of existing ones, or pursue negotiations.

Falahatpisheh contended that it remains unclear whether Pezeshkian’s overtures toward Trump are aimed at influencing the US president or Iran’s national security council, which must approve any move to start negotiations.

"We are not inspecting at the levels or at the places that we believe we should be inspecting,” Rafael Grossi said on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum Summit in Davos.

He said that Iran has accumulated about 200 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade.

Grossi added that the agency does not have evidence that Tehran is building a nuclear weapon but Tehran is not fully cooperating with the IAEA.

“We have not been having the full cooperation of Iran in clarifying a few important things about the past and perhaps the present activities," he said, as around one third of the inspectors remain banned by Tehran.

Grossi said that with Donald Trump being sworn in as the US president “there is expectation that things may be moving again... to bring more certainty to this very volatile situation in Iran.”

On Tuesday, Grossi called on Iran to reach an understanding with the new US administration, expressing concerns about Tehran’s growing stockpile of highly-enriched uranium.

According to the IAEA, Iran’s production of HEU has increased dramatically. In December, the country boosted its production capacity sevenfold to about 34 kilograms (75 pounds) per month, following a diplomatic censure in November.

Iran’s stockpile of 20% enriched uranium also grew by 18 kilograms in the last quarter, further raising concerns.

European powers, including France, Germany, and the UK, are also increasing their scrutiny. They have directed the IAEA to prepare a special report on Iran’s nuclear activities during the first half of 2025.

The report is expected to be presented to the United Nations Security Council, which may consider reimposing UN sanctions before they expire in October.

"I believe it is in our national security interest for the UN Security Council to snap back the sanctions that were suspended under the JCPOA," Rubio told the Senate foreign relations committee in written responses to Senator Ted Cruz, referring to the deal.

"I will execute the President's guidance and work with our allies to ensure that snapback takes place," Rubio added, according to the remarks read by Cruz at the confirmation hearing of Trump's pick for UN Ambassador, Elise Stefanik.

Rubio, Cruz and Stefanik are all staunchly pro-Israel and anti-Tehran and have signaled they will pressure Iran to hold back on support to armed allies and advancing its nuclear program.

"Pushing back on Iran is a top priority. It was a success during President Trump's first term," Stefanik said.

The so-called snapback of UN sanctions on Iran can technically be restored automatically if any party to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deems Iran to be non-compliant.

Then sanctions that were lifted under the JCPOA will snap back into place after 30 days unless the council's five permanent members unanimously vote to keep the sanctions lifted.

Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018, arguing that the easing of sanctions gave Iran revenue to arm itself and regional allies like Hamas and Hezbollah. Now outside the deal, Washington cannot itself trigger the snapback but has promised to push for it in talks with its European allies.

Russia and China, whose relationship to the West is increasingly adversarial, have boosted ties with Iran in recent years and are unlikely to challenge it.

Activating the snapback would then fall to one of the three European countries, or E3, parties to the deal, France, Britain and Germany. Those powers are currently negotiating with Iran about future steps to salvage the agreement.

Britain has mooted willingness to eventually trigger the UN sanctions, citing Iran's advancements in enrichment which take it closer to being able to build a bomb.

If no party to the deal refers Iran to the Security Council by October 2025, their ability to trigger the sanctions snapback will lapse per the UN resolution clinching the deal.

Iran last year said it was prepared for either an agreement or continued tension.

"We believe the window for diplomacy is still open, albeit for a short time, provided the other parties demonstrate genuine willingness. Without such commitment, we will pursue an alternative course," foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in November.

Senator Cruz on Tuesday fumed that the previous administration of Joe Biden had enabled Iran to make further nuclear progress, and that Trump must stop such an advance.

"When the Ayatollah chants Death to America. He means it, and I believe he would absolutely detonate a nuclear weapon over an American city if he could," Cruz said.

"I do not believe that this is a threat the US can tolerate, and I'm confident that both the President and Secretary of State Rubio agree."