Iran’s supreme leader, foreign minister and parliament speaker all play central roles in hammering out an agreement with Washington.
The next phase of talks to end the war in Iran is expected to begin on Sunday amid fighting in Lebanon and renewed confusion over the Strait of Hormuz.
For the second time in two days, Lebanon was again at the center of whether the fragile U.S.-Iran deal would hold.
Talks on a long-term peace deal were set to begin on Friday, but Iran pulled out, citing Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Hours later, diplomats say, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to halt fighting there.
The preliminary agreement, not yet a week old, has sown confusion: nixed Swiss signing ceremonies, rifts with Israel and Congress, and uncertainty over new talks.
The country has long faced some of the world’s heaviest sanctions. The lifting of restrictions could open new vistas on trade and financial access.
The vice president said the United States had leverage to dictate the outcome of the next round of negotiations. But he claimed incorrectly that Iran got no new benefit from the lifting of oil sanctions.
The vice president said that the United States was the only powerful ally Israel had left and noted that two-thirds of the weapons that protected Israel were paid for by U.S. tax dollars.
While the Iranians suffered substantial losses in the war, they emerged from a confrontation with the world’s most powerful military having proved they can use economic chaos as a weapon.
Leading figures from Channel 14, a right-wing broadcaster that supports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are openly attacking the U.S. president over his Iran deal.