Lebanonupdated 29m ago2 min read
MapIran Hardliners Press Trump After Midterm Losses, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Warns Against Submission
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Iranian hardliners say Trump weakened and should pay steeper price to end war They demand a new world order favorable to Iran and tougher concessions from Washington
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Hardliners demand more
Iranian hardliners used President Donald Trump’s midterm losses to press for tougher terms to end the conflict with the United States, with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warning against the “slightest inclination towards submission”. Iranian hardliners intensified their rhetoric after the midterm elections, publicly demanding that Washington not be offered compromises in ongoing negotiations.
Hamidreza Azizi, a senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, told CNN that “Tehran’s position regarding the requirements for a deal with Washington is likely to harden further.” An-Nahar framed the same dynamic as Iranian hardliners raising the price of settlement for Trump, while Iran believed Trump’s electoral defeat would push him to make concessions to end the war.
Mediators and talks
Qatar said on Friday that Trump had spoken with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about de-escalation, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Qatar. Iranian negotiators shuttled between Tehran and Doha as Qatari mediators tried to bridge gaps to reach an agreement that would trigger negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and end the war.
Sina Toossi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, told CNN that the sought outcome would be “stronger deterrence, lasting leverage, and a regional order in which Washington and Israel can no longer keep Iran isolated”. Final touches were completed by the Syrian side to prepare for reopening the Al-‘Abudiyya - al-Dabousiya border crossing north of Lebanon and Syria tomorrow Monday.
Strikes, leverage, stakes
Trump told reporters on Thursday, “Now we’re making a decision, do we want to go further? I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible but maybe I’ll have to,” as the United States carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island including last night.
A regional official told CNN on Thursday that the risk of renewed war with Iran had eased after the Republican Party’s defeat in the US midterm elections, but escalation remained probable.
Iranian hardliners treated Trump’s electoral defeat as leverage, while warning that the reading could carry “great risks for Tehran”.
Hardliners were seizing on Trump’s midterm election setback to demand tougher terms for ending the conflict, raising questions about whether the diplomatic push can succeed.