A serious disagreement has emerged within the Iranian government, particularly between the negotiating delegation and the army – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – which complicates the prospects of reaching an agreement with the United States.
According to Modern.az, Al Jazeera reports that US officials made this statement amid President Donald Trump granting additional time for a ceasefire.
One US official told Axios that there is a “complete division” within Iran between the negotiating parties and the military establishment, and both sides lack access to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who is described as “communicating little.”
He added that the current Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, is not as effective as his predecessor, Ali Larijani. Larijani had greater political influence and could better ensure coordination between the IRGC and the political leadership, while Zolghadr lacks these qualities.
The US side observed this division after the first round of talks held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. At that time, IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi and his deputies rejected many issues discussed by the Iranian delegation.
Reportedly, IRGC generals, who have widespread influence in Iran, openly disagree with civilian negotiators regarding the strategy for relations with Washington. This disagreement emerged when Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC refused to implement the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and even Revolutionary Guard generals openly began to criticize Abbas Araghchi.
According to Axios, citing 3 US officials, President Donald Trump is prepared to extend the current ceasefire for an additional 3-5 days. According to them, Trump's goal is to give rival groups within Iran more time to settle the situation and come up with a unified position.
At the same time, it was emphasized that the additional grace period given to Iran would not be “open-ended.”
CNN also reported the same information, citing sources, stating that the president plans to give the Iranians a “limited time” to prepare a unified proposal to resume diplomacy.
According to officials, Trump's team believes that it is still possible to reach an agreement that ends the war and resolves the remaining issues related to Iran's nuclear program. However, the main problem, in their opinion, is the lack of a single center on the Iranian side with the authority to make a final decision.
A source close to Trump stated that the US president no longer wants to use military force and has decided to end the war.
A number of US officials and individuals close to Trump have concluded that the president believes the US has achieved the maximum possible military outcome and now wants to withdraw from this war, which has increasing political costs and decreasing popularity domestically.
Sources confirmed that Trump is trying to end the war and may only reconsider the military option after all other alternatives have been exhausted.
According to Pakistani sources, the second round of talks between the US and Iran could take place in the coming days – on Friday.
It should be recalled that the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad talks on April 11-12 included Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Speaker of Parliament), Abbas Araghchi (Foreign Minister), Majid Takht-Ravanchi (Deputy Foreign Minister), and Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr (Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council).
A.Gorkhmaz
