Iran-US Talks: Reformists Pay the Price as Tehran Negotiates in Geneva

The same week that Iran’s foreign minister traveled to Geneva to negotiate a potential nuclear deal, the Iranian government was arresting, prosecuting, and sentencing reform politicians who had spoken out against its crackdown on protesters. The contrast between Iran’s diplomatic face and its domestic reality could not have been more striking.
Among those facing consequences was Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent reformist who received a new 14-month prison sentence for what authorities described as propaganda against the regime. Another figure, Ali Shakouri-Rad, was charged after suggesting that security forces may have conducted false-flag attacks on mosques — a claim he backed with reference to an article written by an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
A group of reformists associated with the Reform Front — once considered close to President Pezeshkian — were detained last week but largely released over the weekend on bail, reportedly after the president intervened. They appeared to have gone quiet politically following their release, a silence that speaks volumes about the pressure they remain under.
In Geneva, Foreign Minister Araghchi described the nuclear talks as “more constructive” than the first round and said both sides had agreed on guiding principles. A further meeting is expected in about two weeks. His diplomatic composure stood in sharp contrast to the atmosphere of repression that defined Tehran’s political landscape the same day.
The Iranian government’s simultaneous pursuit of international engagement and domestic suppression reflects a strategy of compartmentalization — seeking legitimacy and relief abroad while consolidating control at home. Whether international partners will be willing to ignore the domestic dimension in pursuit of a nuclear agreement remains an open question.