[U.S.-Iran Confrontation: Trump Can't Tell Who He's Negotiating With]

Lately, when discussing the negotiation issue with Iran, Trump made this remark: "The leadership in Iran is quite strange; sometimes you simply can't figure out who your negotiating counterpart really is."

This is a truthful statement. In fact, it could be translated another way: Trump truly doesn't know who currently holds the real power in Iran. Although no consensus was reached during the first round of talks, in a sense, both sides were gradually approaching agreement. The U.S. clearly demanded that Iran suspend uranium enrichment for 20 years, while the Iranian delegation only agreed to a five-year suspension. On this point alone, there was already some common ground between the two countries regarding the suspension of uranium enrichment—only the specific duration remained unresolved. However, the Iranian delegation’s compromise faced strong criticism and opposition from the Revolutionary Guard, after which they were recalled back home.

Subsequently, Pakistan stepped in as a mediator attempting to facilitate a second round of negotiations. From a series of actions by Trump, it appears he is actually willing to negotiate and hopes to reach a result quickly so he can step away. Yet within Iran, divisions emerged over the negotiation issue: Iran’s Parliament Speaker and Foreign Minister favor negotiations, but the Revolutionary Guard imposed a precondition—that Trump must lift the maritime blockade on Iran before talks can proceed. Due to the Revolutionary Guard’s firm stance, negotiations have still not taken place to date.

In reality, the Trump administration has long harbored a misconception, believing that the Iranian government is the country’s ultimate decision-maker and that negotiating directly with them would solve everything. But in fact, Iran’s power core has undergone significant changes—now, all key decisions are effectively controlled by the Revolutionary Guard.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863711108956160/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.