Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he was neither "overly optimistic nor pessimistic" about talks with the United States on Tehran's nuclear program, Reuters reported. This was his first comment since the start of US-Iranian talks on April 12 in Oman, BTA reports.
The talks, which took place on Saturday, were described as positive by both delegations, who agreed to hold another meeting on April 19 in the Omani capital Muscat.
„The talks are part of dozens of important issues being monitored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic about them. Ultimately, this is a process that has been decided and the initial steps have been successfully implemented,” Khamenei said during a meeting with members of parliament.
Iran has approached the talks cautiously, filled with doubts about the possibility of reaching an agreement and with suspicion of US President Donald Trump, who in 2018 withdrew his country from a previous agreement with the international community. Trump recently threatened to bomb Iran if an agreement is not reached.
Khamenei added that Iran remains “very pessimistic” about the US and said it would not tie its internal affairs to talks on its nuclear program.
“The negotiations must continue in a focused manner and in accordance with clear red lines that are known to both us and the other side. "These negotiations may lead to a result, but they may also lead to no result at all," Khamenei concluded.