IRAN PERSPECTIVE

Tehran, July 28, 2026. After nearly two weeks of American strikes, Iran experienced several nights without attack, a lull that the authorities refuse to characterize as a ceasefire. The Iranian joint military command insists: the pause remains a simple suspension, revocable at any moment, and the American naval blockade in Iranian territorial waters constitutes, in their view, a disguised extension of the conflict. This caution reflects persistent mistrust toward Washington, sustained by Donald Trump himself, who stated Monday in Michigan of very friendly negotiations while promising to defeat Iran if diplomacy failed.

Behind closed doors, the pause reveals a fracture within the power structure. Vice-Chairman of Parliament Hamidreza Haji Babai declared to deputies that the Islamic Republic will never reach an agreement with the United States, denouncing a country that declares war then a ceasefire whenever it wishes. Former Vice-President Mohsen Mansouri deems talks absurd while Iran would negotiate from a position of strength, having struck ships, closed the Strait of Hormuz, and triggered oil price surges. Conservative newspaper Kayhan urged the Foreign Ministry to formalize a firm position: for this current, resistance, not negotiation, is the path to peace.

Facing these hard-line voices, pragmatic factions argue for seizing a narrow window before new fighting worsens the economic situation. This indirect diplomacy, relayed according to Turkish agency Anadolu through Qatari and Pakistani mediation, appears to have gained momentum after three nights without strikes. Mehr News reports, citing the Times, that Trump may have ordered this pause out of concern over depleting Pentagon stocks of Patriot missiles in the Middle East. Among the population, caution dominates: many interpret this silence as evidence of discrete negotiations rather than decisive progress, some admitting they remain unable to sleep despite the absence of bombardment.