Divisions emerge in Tehran over US-Iran talks in New York
'Unapproved' New York meeting sparks IRGC backlash as Iran defends diplomacy
The Iran-US talks in New York have exposed questions over how much authority Iranian negotiators have to make concessions.
UK-based Iran International reported that criticism emerged inside Tehran after Iran FM Abbas Araghchi's contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with the Iran's Tasnim news agency reporting that the interaction had not been "authorised" by Iran's policymaking bodies.
The agency is linked to the Iran's Islamic Republican Guard Corps (IRGC).
At the same time, Iranian officials have continued to defend diplomacy.
Iran's foreign ministry said the New York contact was conducted through Qatari mediation and was intended to communicate Iran's conditions.
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US President Donald Trump said that his envoys had a “very good” three-hour meeting with Araghchi, adding there was “a lot of momentum” towards a deal.
Witkoff later said the two sides had completed a round of discussions that he hoped would "prove constructive and promising".
Iran has tied progress towards ending the conflict to several demands — including an end to US military action and its naval blockade, the release of frozen Iranian assets and arrangements allowing shipping to resume through the Strait of Hormuz.
That leaves two major questions: whether Washington and Tehran can agree on the sequence of steps needed to end the conflict, and whether Iranian negotiators have enough domestic backing to deliver an agreement.
