[IranAlert] Islamic Republic Tries to Sweeten the Deal While Managing Expectations at Home

This is the NUFDI IranAlert—concise, timely analysis offering unique insights into breaking news and major developments inside Iran. Each short brief provides a fresh angle, highlighting trends, reactions, and overlooked internal dynamics shaping Iran and the Islamic Republic.

The Iran-US talks in Oman planned for Saturday (April 12) are approaching fast. The Islamic Republic and its echo chamber in the West are trying to sweeten the pot by dangling the prospect of American businesses tapping into Iran’s market.

At the same time, wary of (1) the unpredictability of President Donald Trump, (2) possible poison pills in the negotiations, and (3) the terms of the talks being unclear, the regime is trying to manage expectations at home.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday took to pages of the Washington Post to invite US companies to seize on “the trillion-dollar opportunity that access to [Iran’s] economy represents.”

The same message was repeated by President Masoud Pezeshkian saying , “The Supreme Leader has no opposition to investment by American investors in Iran.”

Unsurprisingly, the infamous “Iran Lobby” in the West kicked into full gear, echoing the arguments that Washington can not only avoid confrontation with Tehran but also can profit from a business foray into Iran.

At the same time, senior officials and local media in Iran are trying to hedge against the talks crashing. A senior aide to the Supreme Leader, Mohammad Mokhber, warned today that Tehran and Washington have been on the cusp of a deal more than once over the past three years, but the talks collapsed after “Israeli intervention”.

Media Reaction in Tehran

While hyping the talks with front page photos of the U.S. and Iranian negotiators, the local “reformist” dailies are warning that Trump’s policy is “ unpredictable ” and the path to a deal is “ complex, fragile, and perilous ”.

The government-run daily Iran Newspaper claims that the talks will be on “ Iran’s terms ” while the “reformist” daily Etemad cheered “markets’ positive reaction to the prospect of talks”.

Since the news broke of the planned talks, the Iranian rial has slightly gained the ground it had lost against the US dollar since Trump’s November election win. The surge in the national currency’s value is not necessarily indicative of organic market forces. The Central Bank of Iran has a history of flooding the market using its reserves to prop up the rial and send a signal of strength or hope.

The Supreme Leader-controlled Kayhan daily says , “Experience has shown that the U.S. will not fulfill its commitments.”

Hardline daily Hamshahari, run by Tehran Municipality, repeated Tehran’s official line that the talks will be indirect. They called reports to the contrary, including comments by Trump, a “lie”.

To protect the clerical establishment and the Supreme Leader, IRGC-affiliated outlets like Tasnim are pinning the responsibility of the talks on the civilian government. IRGC-affiliated Javan Daily pictured the talks as a balloon that will soon explode.