IRAN PERSPECTIVE

Tehran, May 12, 2026. From state television studios to IRNA agency analyses, the line is maintained with remarkable consistency: Iran did not reject peace — Washington rejected reason. The Iranian counter-proposal transmitted via Islamabad — demand for lifting the naval blockade, war damage compensation, recognition of sovereignty over Hormuz, settlement of the Lebanese file — is presented by official media as 'reasonable, generous and responsible'. Trump's reaction, saying he didn't even finish reading it, is described as the confession of a man losing his footing.

The Strait of Hormuz is the central element of this narrative. Under international law, Iran invokes a reading of the law of the sea making the closure a legitimate act of self-defense in wartime, not an economic hostage-taking. IRNA relayed the Foreign Ministry spokesman's position that the American draft resolution at the Security Council on Hormuz 'aims to divert attention from the real issue' — the US-Israeli aggression launched on February 28. Iran International, the opposition media based in London, offers a radically different reading: Iranian crude oil exports by sea have been at zero for 28 days, an unprecedented economic collapse even by Obama-era sanctions standards.

On the domestic front, the picture drawn by independent sources is bleak. Two million jobs lost, according to Iranian officials cited by the New York Times. Handwoven carpet exports, once worth nearly $2.5 billion annually, have 'virtually stopped'. Internet shutdowns imposed on citizens suspected of hostile online activity — lifted in exchange for pro-government posts — reveal a state apparatus under pressure. Academics warn that Iranian universities are being 'crushed' by war and repression simultaneously.

Yet the propaganda machine keeps running. The state agency recalls that 'Ayatollah Khamenei is in full health' — his prolonged absence from public life since the February 28 strike is fueling the most intense speculation. General Ghalibaf promises enemies will be 'surprised' by Iran's response to any new aggression. Velayati declares Trump 'will be defeated in diplomacy as on the battlefield'.

In this context, Beijing's support is celebrated as a major strategic pivot. The Iranian ambassador to China endorsed Xi Jinping's four-point Gulf security plan and announced Tehran was ready to support it — a diplomatic signal addressed as much to Beijing as to Washington. Iran is betting on attrition: whoever cracks economically first loses the war of endurance.