Oman urges Iran and US to resume nuclear talks

In a commentary published on Saturday under the title Hijab and the Second Step, Shariatmadari said some authorities were publicly condemning “semi-nudity” among women while neglecting to reaffirm that unveiling itself remains prohibited. “It is as if unveiling has been removed from the list of forbidden acts,” he wrote, “and officials only caution against full or partial nudity.”

“This is exactly the enemy’s second-step tactic,” he added.

Shariatmadari described the approach as part of a deliberate psychological strategy to desensitize society. “When society suffers from a harmful phenomenon, the enemy seeks to normalize it by introducing an even more disastrous version,” he wrote. “In this case, they present semi-nudity so that people tolerate unveiling.”

Since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police, enforcing compulsory hijab has become increasingly difficult, and the state’s ability to impose the rules has sharply eroded, particularly in major cities.

Since then, many women have continued to appear unveiled in public despite warnings, fines, and the return of hijab patrol vans, turning defiance into a daily act of resistance.

‘Officials still playing in the enemy’s field’

The Kayhan editor also repeated his long-standing criticism of the government’s handling of the hijab and chastity law, calling the legislation “suspicious” and “likely designed by infiltrators.” He said it “not only fails to stop unveiling but will expand it,” accusing the heads of Iran’s three branches of government of “preventing even the implementation of this incomplete law.”

Shariatmadari cited Khamenei’s earlier remarks that foreign enemies had deliberately turned the hijab issue into a political conflict. “They want to return the country to the pre-revolutionary state,” he wrote.

Addressing “semi-nudity” without confronting unveiling itself would embolden those seeking to erode Islamic values, he concluded. “Nudity is the result and continuation of unveiling,” he said. “Fighting it cannot succeed without a serious confrontation with unveiling.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had managed the June war with Israel effectively and prevented it from spreading to the wider region, according to the Qatari network. He said Iran was fully prepared for any new confrontation and warned that Israel would face “another defeat” if fighting resumed.

Araghchi said Iranian nuclear sites were damaged in the war but its enrichment technology remained intact, with nuclear materials still at the bombed facilities.

He said Iran would not accept Western pressure and was ready for indirect talks with Washington to reach what he called a fair agreement on its nuclear program. Tehran was willing to address international concerns, he added, but would not make concessions after being attacked.

His remarks came a day after Egypt said it had urged both Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to end the standoff over inspections of damaged nuclear sites. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he conveyed the appeal to Araghchi and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in separate calls aimed at reviving cooperation.

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  Iran says diplomacy, not submission, guides Tehran’s foreign policy

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  Araghchi says Netanyahu fabricated Iran missile threat to drum up new war

Iran suspended full cooperation with the UN watchdog after the June war with Israel and the United States, which struck several nuclear facilities. Under a post-war law, inspections now require approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and exclude access to the bombed sites.

Western powers accuse Tehran of hiding military dimensions to its program, while Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful.

Tensions with Washington have sharpened after US President Donald Trump ordered the first American nuclear weapons tests in more than three decades. Araghchi called the move a regressive and irresponsible step and said it showed what he called US hypocrisy for condemning Iran’s nuclear work while restarting its own testing.

“The contract was concluded according to proper procedures and has no connection with the management of Iraq’s communications network,” the ministry said. It added that operations and data systems remain under the authority of ministry staff.

The statement followed an article in The Atlantic that described the Muhandis General Company as an Iraqi version of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The magazine said Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had created the firm and awarded it government contracts, including for fiber-optic maintenance, giving Iran-aligned militias new influence inside Iraq’s economy. The Atlantic also reported that Washington sanctioned the company in October, calling it a front for terrorist groups and corruption.

According to The Atlantic, the Popular Mobilization Forces—an umbrella for mostly Shi’ite militias formed in 2014 to help the army fight Islamic State—have gained wider power under al-Sudani, who has embraced and enriched them through public-works contracts. The report said recent deals with the Muhandis company give the militias something they have long sought: a foothold in Iraq’s data network.

The communications ministry rejected what it called “targeted attacks” against its work and said its projects were being carried out transparently and in line with Iraqi law.

Even a breakthrough in talks with the United States or renewed oil exports would not resolve Iran’s deeper political and economic dysfunction, said Mohammad Sarafraz, a member of the Supreme Cyberspace Council and former head of state broadcaster IRIB, in an interview with Khabar-e Fori. “We will not reach a desirable outcome, nor will the results benefit the people,” he added.

Sarafraz urged what he described as a “revolution in governance,” saying the Islamic Republic’s current structures had reached a dead end. On the nuclear file, he warned that Iran’s ambiguity “is certainly not to our benefit and must change,” as United Nations sanctions have now been reinstated. Continuing the present course, he said, would isolate Iran further, since “this time it will not only be the United States we face – Europe and some regional countries will also stand with America.”

His comments came as US Treasury Undersecretary John Hurley began a tour of the Middle East and Europe aimed at tightening financial pressure on Tehran.

"President Trump has made clear that Iran's destabilizing and terrorist activities must be met with sustained and coordinated pressure," Hurley said in the statement.

"I look forward to meeting with our partners to coordinate our efforts to deny Tehran and its proxies the financial access they rely on to evade international sanctions, fund violence, and undermine stability in the region."

Sarafraz also dismissed the notion that pursuing nuclear weapons could deter foreign threats. The Western countries say Iran’s uranium enrichment exceeds civilian needs. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

Turning to Iran’s regional allies, he said groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis were now weakened or sidelined and no longer capable of providing strategic depth. “They were powerful in the past, but failed to deliver,” he said.

Sarafraz called for a recalibration of foreign policy toward the United States, China, and Russia, warning that all three “seek a weak Iran compliant with their interests.” He urged a balanced approach – “neither dependent nor hostile” – and said Iran’s faltering economy had become “a hostage of foreign policy.”

At home, he demanded fundamental reform rather than a mere change of president, advocating genuine public participation in governance.

President Donald Trump’s approach now prioritizes regional peace and prosperity over democracy promotion, Tulsi Gabbard told officials at the Manama Dialogue.

Washington’s emphasis, she said, had moved from political engineering to achieving practical outcomes, including the ceasefire that halted Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza and the end of Israel’s 12-day war on Iran after US-led airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The United States held five rounds of talks with Tehran earlier this year over its disputed nuclear program, under a 60-day ultimatum set by President Donald Trump.

When no deal was reached by the 61st day, June 13, Israel launched a surprise military campaign, culminating in US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.

“For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building,” Gabbard said. “It was a one-size-fits-all approach, of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervene in conflicts that were barely understood and walk away with more enemies than allies.”

The policy reversal, she said, reflected lessons from past wars that had “cost trillions, taken countless lives and in many cases created greater security threats.”

Gabbard acknowledged that challenges remain, citing fragile conditions in Gaza and renewed activity at Iranian nuclear sites, recently noted by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. “The road ahead will not be simple or easy but the president is very committed down this road,” she added.