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Source: https://jcfa.org/negotiation-as-war-by-other-means-why-iran-deals-fail-before-theyre-signed/
Negotiation as War by Other Means: Why Iran Deals Fail Before They're Signed
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Dr. Dan Diker - Iran views negotiations not as a path to permanent peace, but as a continuation of conflict through diplomatic means. The regime sees agreements as tactical pauses that preserve the broader struggle rather than resolve it. Iran's strategic culture is shaped by the concepts of endurance, sacrifice, and martyrdom rooted in Shi'a history. Survival and continued resistance are more important than material losses, allowing the regime to frame hardship as ideological victory. Temporary truces are a recurring strategic model used to buy time, regroup, and strengthen before resuming confrontation. Iran's recent ceasefire behavior around the Strait of Hormuz is an example of this approach. Iran's internal power structure is divided between pragmatic negotiators and hardline ideological institutions tied to the Supreme Leader and the IRGC. These parallel systems are capable of obstructing or quietly reversing concessions even after agreements are signed. The U.S. must not give up leverage too early through phased diplomacy. Sanctions, military pressure, and blockades have weakened Iran's networks, and easing that pressure prematurely could allow Tehran to regroup economically and militarily. The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center.