Iran’s talks with the United States have been marked by internal turmoil, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps effectively taking control of the negotiating line and imposing a hard position on the government’s team. According to the report, every proposal and clause discussed in recent days by Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan had to be approved by Ahmad Vahidi and senior Guards figures, who were said to be setting the regime’s actual policy.
The sources say Araghchi and Qalibaf were given exact instructions on what to say and which red lines they could not cross with the Americans. They also said much of the messaging appearing recently in Iranian media does not necessarily reflect what is being said in the closed-door talks. In their account, many political figures in Iran are afraid of the Revolutionary Guards and therefore align themselves with the line handed down from above.
Vahidi was quoted as delivering a blunt rebuke to the negotiators, telling Araghchi and Qalibaf, “You are too soft, you gave the Americans too much.” The Guards reportedly believe Iran could have extracted far more without making nearly any commitments. The key demand from the Guards is that no concession be made before money is actually received.
The report says that was also the message Vahidi sent to the negotiating team this week, namely that if Iran must give anything up, it should make sure the cash arrives first. The negotiations continue under this hardline pressure, with the Guards determining the limits of what Iran is willing to accept.
