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Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/09/middleeast/iran-conflict-politics-hardline-intl
The Radical Iranian Hardliners Bent on Sabotaging a Deal with the U.S.
(CNN) Mostafa Salem - A small but influential hardline Iranian faction has intensified efforts to sabotage a potential deal with Washington. The Endurance Front (Jebhe-ye Paydari) has ramped up efforts across the media, in parliament and on the streets to advocate against an agreement with the U.S., arguing that only by defeating Washington can Iran secure a favorable deal. One of its most prominent figures - former national security chief Saeed Jalili - garnered 13 million votes in the 2024 elections, finishing second. "They view resistance against the United States and Israel as an eternal fight," Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told CNN. "They believe in a Shia state that needs to continue until the end of times and are quite fanatic when it comes to that religious ideology." The group's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Mahdi Mirbaqiri, harbors "apocalyptic views," Azizi said, and wants to hasten the end of times by encouraging "widespread fighting" and a "comprehensive clash" with the West, according to an interview he gave state media in 2019.