Iran’s unprecedented ‘whole-regime’ delegation at US deal talks signals one goal: expert
Scope of the first round of technical talks between Switzerland and the Iranian delegation United States He highlighted what one analyst on Sunday described as Tehran’s red-line demand for “immediate cash flow” and significant fiscal concessions from the start.
The team’s arrival at Bürgenstock took place a few days after the breakthrough Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) The cancellation of subsequent talks following the agreement signed by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian increased uncertainty in the region.
Counterterrorism expert: “These are the most important negotiations America has entered in the Middle East for years. Iran knows this and plays it very well.” Dr. Omer Muhammad he told Fox News Digital.
“Tehran felt like it was time to pack up,” said director Mohammed. Program on Extremism at George Washington Universityin question.
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Tehran has sent an unprecedented “all-regime” team to US deal talks, pointing to a single priority, a counterterrorism expert said.
(Reuters)
Iranian state media also confirmed that Tehran had sent a message. whole-regime apparatusLed by chief negotiator Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Their team includes Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, who leads the economic committee; Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; Kazem Garibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal affairs; as well as senior government oil and energy officials.
Mohammed stated that Iran had deliberately bypassed a narrow and purely diplomatic team to maintain its internal influence.
“Iran didn’t just send diplomats; it sent its foreign ministry, security state, central banklegal affairs and oil,” he explained. “This is a delegation that covers the entire regime built around enforcement, money, repression and red lines.”
Mohammed said Araghchi was the diplomatic face, while Bagheri Kani brought the Supreme National Security Council into the room, meaning the security establishment was overseeing the process and “protecting the regime’s red lines.”
The expert said the inclusion of Iran’s top financial and energy officials in this meeting sent the clearest signal of Tehran’s primary goal: immediate cash flow, “energy impact” and control of naval operations.
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Vice President J.D. Vance speaks at a press conference following a meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran on April 12, 2026 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff listen during the event.
“Hemmati’s presence on Sunday was one of the clearest signals. You don’t send the central bank governor to a symbolic meeting. You send him when the issue is money: frozen assets, easing of sanctions“Banking channels, available currency and how quickly Iran can convert its promises on paper into cash that it can spend,” Mohammed said.
“The oil authority is another important signal. If oil is in the room, Hormuz is in the room. To an American policymaker, that means maritime security and energy advantage.”
Mohammed said Gharibabadi’s presence directly points to a legal battleground over verification and language, perhaps designed to enable Iran to evade future sanctions.
US delegation, including the vice president J.D. VanceHe is supported by US Special Representative for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and former senior White House advisor Jared Kushner.
Vance said he was hopeful Washington could make progress on both issues. Nuclear problem and increasing Ceasefire crisis in Lebanon while in Switzerland.
Trump wants to turn a “new page” to transform the US relationship with Iran, he said on Sunday, and that talks starting in Switzerland will allow both sides to work to resolve the issues.
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In this photo from Iran’s ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks on a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019.
In contrast, according to Iran International, hardline lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian read excerpts from what he described as top secret letters from the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Iranian state television.
He claimed the leader opposed nuclear talks, demanded compensation from Washington and insisted that Iran control the Strait of Hormuz before the live program was cut.
Mohammed said the different composition of the two teams underlines the very different approaches that both countries bring to the table.
“Iran is not only negotiating the merits, but also negotiating the terms under which it can reach an agreement later.” avoiding pressureMuhammad warned. “If the money comes first and the concessions come later, Tehran will not interpret this as a concession. It will interpret it as a victory.”
“If Washington provides Iran with money, oil access and legal protection while Iran keeps Hormuz, its proxies, missiles and nuclear options alive, then America has not bought peace. It has financed Iran’s next phase,” Mohammed said.
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“This delegation is not designed to end Iran’s influence. It is designed to reap the benefits of a pause, protect the regime’s pressure points, and move them to the next round.”
Talks between Iran and the United States were paused but not terminated on Sunday. Reuters reported.
Original article source: Iran’s unprecedented ‘all-regime’ delegation to US deal talks points to one goal: expert
