Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi and his inner circle appear to continue to seek an agreement that meets Iranian maximalist demands and would be tantamount to a US surrender.
Any US-Iran agreement must require Iran to abandon efforts to establish long-term authority over the strait. Iranian forces continue to employ coercive measures to force vessels to transit through Iran’s illegal traffic separation scheme and comply with its protection racket.
It remains unclear whether these public statements accurately reflect each side's negotiating position or the contents of the agreement, given competition between the IRGC and the formal negotiating team.
Iranian statements and Iran’s continued use of force and coercion in the Strait of Hormuz indicate that the regime remains unwilling to relinquish its claims to control over the waterway.
Other Iranian officials appear to have disputed a draft memorandum leaked by IRGC-linked and state media.
Conflicting US and Iranian accounts of the MoU suggest that the United States and Iran remain far apart on several core issues, however.
NEW | Persistent internal disagreements remain among Iranian regime leaders over the concessions that the regime should accept in negotiations with the United States.
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