IRAN PERSPECTIVE

Tehran, May 18, 2026. The Islamic Republic finds itself in an unprecedented position since the start of the conflict: its president publicly acknowledges the destruction suffered, hardliners demand preconditions for negotiations, and Washington still brandished a planned military strike on Monday. It's in this context that Donald Trump finally announced he had suspended the attack order, after Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates pressed him to give more time to diplomacy.

According to Iran International, Trump had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Daniel Caine to be ready for "a large-scale assault on Iran at any moment" if an acceptable agreement was not reached. The threat remains suspended, conditional, and its withdrawal was due to the efforts of the Gulf monarchies — not a significant advancement in talks.

On the Iranian side, the proposal transmitted to Washington demanded a permanent end to the conflict, the lifting of sanctions, the restitution of frozen assets, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, pushing nuclear issues to a later phase. The US response proved insufficient: Washington would only have agreed to release 25% of Iranian funds on a progressive schedule. Above all, Iran categorically rejected any link between the end of hostilities and commitments on uranium enrichment. A source close to the negotiation team, cited by the Tasnim agency, was explicit: Tehran "will not accept ending the war in exchange for nuclear commitments".

Internal divisions further complicate the Iranian position. Mohammad Ali Jafari, former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, stated that no further negotiations should take place until Iran's conditions are met. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, vice-president of the National Security Commission of the parliament, considers discussions futile without prior lifting of sanctions.

It's in this context that President Pezeshkian's speech took on a particular dimension. Before his audience, he chose frankness on the country's real state: "It's not the case that we haven't been hurt," he declared, evoking strikes that destroyed 230 million cubic meters of gas capacity, power plants, petrochemical facilities, and the Mobarakeh steel mill. Oil exports are paralyzed, fuel shortages worsen.