Iran’s nuclear programme, missile arsenal, militia network and crackdown on protesters could all feature in upcoming negotiations in Turkey.

The announcement marked a major turn for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had broadly warned Iranians for weeks that the turmoil in his country had gone beyond his control. It also signals that the president received support from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for talks that the 86-year-old cleric previously had dismissed.