Iran’s government is simultaneously managing a serious domestic political crisis and pursuing sensitive nuclear diplomacy with its most powerful adversary — a combination that would strain any political system and that on Tuesday produced a day of jarring contrasts. In Geneva, Foreign Minister Araghchi reported constructive progress in indirect nuclear talks. Back home, the judiciary confirmed the prosecution of over 10,000 protest-related detainees and the country mourned its dead.
The second round of talks, facilitated by Oman, lasted about three and a half hours and ended with agreement on guiding principles. Both sides committed to exchanging draft texts before a further meeting in roughly two weeks — a procedural step that signals sustained diplomatic engagement. Araghchi described the atmosphere as markedly more positive than the first session.
The nuclear substance of the talks focused on Iran’s enrichment programme, its near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile, and the conditions for IAEA oversight. Iran offered to dilute its 60% enriched uranium and expand inspector access — proposals designed to address the most acute international concerns while preserving Iran’s domestic enrichment rights, which Tehran has consistently declared non-negotiable.
The US demanded more: complete cessation of domestic enrichment and comprehensive IAEA verification. Iran rejected the enrichment halt and accepted the verification principle in modified form. The gap between the two positions remained substantial but was, according to Iranian officials, at least beginning to narrow.
At home, the picture was darker. The 40th-day mourning ceremonies for protesters killed in recent demonstrations drew massive crowds. Supreme Leader Khamenei acknowledged that some bystanders had been killed. Reformist politicians were being arrested. The judicial system was processing thousands of cases under conditions that drew international condemnation. The government that was negotiating in Geneva was, simultaneously, a government fighting for its political survival.
