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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/world/middleeast/iran-us-nuclear-talks-war.html
For Iran's Rulers, Refusing U.S. Demands Is a Risk Worth Taking
(New York Times) Erika Solomon - The authoritarian clerics who rule Iran see conceding to President Trump's demands on its nuclear program and weapons as a greater threat to their survival than the risk of war. "For Iran, submitting to U.S. terms is more dangerous than suffering another U.S. strike," said Ali Vaez, the Iran director of the International Crisis Group. "They don't believe that once they capitulate, the U.S. will alleviate the pressure. They believe that would only encourage the U.S. to go for the jugular." Danny Citronowicz, an expert at the Atlantic Council who previously headed the Iran branch of Israel's Defense Intelligence, said that if Iran's leaders concede to U.S. demands, "they will actually undermine the existence of the regime itself. I think they don't have any other choice than to take the bet on the military side."