WANA (Feb 02) – At a time when mutual threats between Iran and the United States had reached their highest level in recent days, new developments suggest that Washington has entered a new phase in response to Tehran’s firm stance.

 

Unlike previous weeks, when the media and political initiative lay largely with the United States, there are now signs of a tactical retreat in the public positions of the American side—though serious doubts remain about the authenticity of this shift.

 

After Iran sent a clear message in the face of threats without backing down from its positions, the United States appears to have concluded that, under current conditions, it lacks the capacity to generate a “credible threat” against Iran.

 

This assessment has prompted Washington to activate indirect communication channels, with messages from the U.S. conveyed to Tehran through several regional and international actors.

 

Within this framework, the prospect of launching indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States has once again been raised in earnest. While such talks may outwardly signal an intention to reduce tensions, likely scenarios indicate a high risk of their rapid collapse and a subsequent escalation of confrontation.

 

This is particularly the case given that, alongside these diplomatic moves, the U.S. is pursuing a strategy of combined pressure—conditioning Iran’s domestic environment, creating political divisions, and intensifying public opinion pressure.

An anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli billboard is displayed on a street in Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Key important points on the Iran–U.S. negotiations gathered by WANA News Agency today:

 

  1. After mutual threats between Iran and the United States peaked and Iran did not retreat, the U.S. sent messages to Iran.
  2. These messages were conveyed to Iran via Turkey, Qatar, and Russia.
  3. In its messages, the U.S. has retreated from its public positions, though there are serious doubts about how genuine this shift is.
  4. The U.S. administration has concluded at this stage that it is unable to produce a credible threat against Iran.
  5. Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States are likely to begin on Sunday in Ankara.
  6. The talks will be held at the level of Araghchi and Witkoff.
  7. The most likely scenario is that the negotiations will quickly fail due to U.S. excessive demands, leading to an intensification of confrontation between the two countries.
  8. Concurrently with the talks, the U.S. is focusing on conditioning the domestic environment, creating political rifts, and building up pressure.
  9. The United States seeks to mobilize public opinion pressure on the Iranian system in order to secure an agreement.

 

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