|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-trying-negotiate-iranian-regime-war
Trump Is Trying to Negotiate with an Iranian Regime at War with Itself
(Fox News) Erfan Fard - The divided power factions in Tehran are a serious obstacle to any negotiation with the U.S. They have placed a strategy of attrition, wasting time and deception on the agenda. The regime's hard core still includes a combination of fanatical elements who are unwilling to concede any advantage. Internal divisions and conflicts are far deeper than what U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies imagine. In this context, it is still unclear who will ultimately be willing to "drink from the poisoned chalice" (as Ayatollah Khomeini said he was forced to do in 1988 to agree to end the war with Iraq). The main strategy is to buy time and continue the game in a deliberate effort to exhaust the Trump administration. The regime is caught in a deadlocked situation and seeks to project that it determines the timing and conditions; whereas this is, more than anything, a psychological game to preserve prestige. Genuine dialogue has been replaced by ambiguity, suspension and attritional tactics. Ultimately, what is unfolding in Tehran today is an image of its erosion. This is no longer a cohesive structure; it is a collection of rival factions, each fighting for survival, not for governing the country. The deeper reality is a ruling system that no longer has the capacity for decisive decision-making. Diplomacy has turned into a tool for delaying crisis, not resolving it. The main question is no longer who will take power, but whether this worn-out structure can continue at all. The writer is a counterterrorism analyst specializing in Iranian intelligence and security structures, with a particular focus on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.