Ali Akbar Velayati, a top advisor to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told state-run television Friday that Tehran should engage in one-on-one talks with the United States to resolve sticking points on a permanent nuclear deal. As Khamenei’s foreign policy chief, Velayati’s words were taken as a sign that the supreme leader supports a better relationship with Washington. (Ebrahim Noroozi / Associated Press)