Iran's Khamenei neither 'overly optimistic nor pessimistic' about US nuclear talks

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday he was neither "overly optimistic nor pessimistic" about talks with the U.S. on Iran's nuclear programme, in an apparent move by Tehran to play down growing public expectations of a deal.

Failure to reach a deal with President Donald Trump to end Iran's decades-long dispute with the West could profoundly hurt the Islamic Republic, Iranian politicians and insiders have said, even if Washington is subsequently portrayed by Tehran as the guilty party.

After last weekend’s talks between Tehran and Washington in Oman, which both sides described as positive, Iranian expectations of economic relief have soared, according to Iranians reached by telephone and by messages posted by Iranians on social media.

The two sides have agreed to hold more talks on April 19 in Oman.

Iran's battered rial currency has gained some 20% against the dollar in the past few days, with many Iranians hoping an deal to end Iran's economic isolation may be within reach.

"We are neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic regarding them. After all, it is a process which was decided and its first steps have been well implemented," Khamenei said in a meeting with lawmakers, according to state media.

Tehran has approached the talks warily, doubting the likelihood of an agreement and suspicious of Trump, who abandoned Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers during his first term in 2018 and has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if there is no deal.

"From here on, it (the talks) must be followed through carefully, with red lines clearly defined for both the other side and for us. The negotiations may lead to results, or they may not," said Khamenei.

"Avoid linking the country’s fate to these talks."

Since relations with Washington collapsed after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed Shah, enmity toward the United States has always been a rallying point for Iran's clerical rulers.

But inflation, unemployment and lack of investment as a result of crippling sanctions, reimposed after Trump ditched the 2015 nuclear pact, persuaded Khamenei to support talks with the Trump administration.

The United States, Israel and Western powers accuse Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons, but Iran says its programme is for civilian purposes only.