Tehran, Iran – Iran's leadership has not closed the door on a potential deal with the United States, but more hawkish voices on both sides are pushing for demands that are making any understanding elusive.
More than three months after the start of the war, Washington and Tehran are yet to agree on how to handle international transit through the Strait of Hormuz following Iran's insistence on controlling the waterway and the US blockade of Iran's ports. It is also unclear if the two sides can reach a longer-term deal on nuclear enrichment and the buried highly enriched uranium in Iran, or on the lifting of US and United Nations sanctions on Iran.
The US military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been trading fire over recent days, with Tehran accusing Washington of repeated violations of the ceasefire reached in early April. Israeli media reported online that an explosion on Sunday night in an apartment building in Tehran's Andisheh was a targeted assassination of an IRGC general, but the Iranian media said it was a gas leak.
Iran's top military, religious and political leaders and institutions continue to emphasize that there will be no "surrender" amid deep distrust towards the US, but subtle differences between their postures persist.
The son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was selected to helm the theocratic and military establishment shortly after reportedly being wounded in the same strikes that killed his father and other family members. He has not been seen or heard from publicly except for written messages attributed to him. In the messages, Khamenei has not cast himself as anti-talks, but has stressed that "the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without the US."
The military and security factions led by generals in the IRGC have been elevated to new heights of power amid the US-Israel war on Iran. They have signalled a firm position against granting major concessions to US President Donald Trump. IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi has focused his narrative on deterrence and achieving "victory" over what he has described as a "failing superpower," warning of a "destructive and hellish response" if the war restarts.
Former IRGC chief commander Mohammad Ali Jafari delineated five conditions for negotiations: end of the war on all fronts; lifting sanctions; release of frozen assets; war reparations; and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over Hormuz.
Hardliner Saeed Jalili has acted as an unyielding opponent of engaging with the West and granting concessions. He has framed talks as acceptable only as recognition of Iranian power and stressed that guarantees must be obtained so any long-term deal is not dependent on "trusting" the US.
Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, led the Iranian negotiating team during the first round of mediated negotiations with the US in Pakistan in April. He rails against "capitulation" but has said he is in favour of a pragmatic deal to end hostilities.
State television (IRIB) broadcasts the harshest positions, including gun training for supporters and calls for "sacrifice." It has also discussed "acceptable" terms for an interim deal, which include authority over the Strait of Hormuz, vessel classification and transit fees, and quick access to at least $12bn in assets frozen abroad.
The ultraconservative Keyhan newspaper has proven a mainstay for broadcasting maximalist positions for decades, with editor-in-chief Hossein Shariatmadari repeatedly calling for Iran to close down the Strait of Hormuz, abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and seriously consider building nuclear bombs.
Source: www.aljazeera.com