US President Donald Trump’s negotiators are worried that there may not be anyone in Tehran to approve a deal with Washington, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed officials.
The report said that Trump’s negotiators believe a deal to end the war and address “what’s left of Iran’s nuclear program” is still achievable, but they are concerned that there may be no one in Tehran “empowered to say yes.”
It further claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “barely communicating,” adding that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals and Iran’s civilian negotiators are “openly at odds over strategy.”
The interior “fracture” is partly a consequence of Israel’s March assassination of Ali Larijani, the previous secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the report said, noting that his replacement, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, is “not effective” at coordinating between the IRGC, civilian leadership, and the supreme leader.
According to the report, on Monday evening, Iran seemed to signal through Pakistani intermediaries that it was open to negotiations. By Tuesday morning, however, that openness vanished, replaced with a demand that the US end its naval blockade.
Trump reportedly believes the US has already achieved everything it can through military action and is looking to exit the increasingly unpopular conflict. He is unwilling to restart operations until all other avenues have been fully explored.
However, if Pakistani mediators fail to bring Iran to the table within the timeframe Trump has in mind, military action will once again be considered.
