Three-minute read
Recent pronouncements from senior Iranian officials regarding nuclear negotiations with the United States have exposed significant disarray and conflicting agendas within the clerical regime. Rather than a unified policy, a cacophony of voices, public rebukes, and accusations of hypocrisy paint a picture of internal paralysis on this critical issue, raising questions about Tehran’s ability to present a coherent stance on the international stage.
On May 15, 2025, Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military, and nuclear adviser to the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, signaled a potential pathway to a deal. In an interview with NBC News, Shamkhani stated that Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, get rid of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, agree to enrich uranium only to lower levels for civilian use, and allow international inspections. This, he indicated, would be in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions. When asked if Iran would sign an agreement today if those conditions were met, Shamkhani replied, “Yes.” He added, “If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations… it can lead to a better situation in the near future.”
#Iran News: Regime Threatens 93% Enrichment in Latest Nuclear Blackmail Tactichttps://t.co/tc5VVhhi4t
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 14, 2025
Immediate Contradictions and Defiance
However, on the same day, regime President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a markedly different tone in response to US President Donald Trump’s remarks which combined an “olive branch” with threats. Pezeshkian, as reported by Reuters and broadcast on state television, declared, “He thinks he can come here, chant slogans, and scare us. For us, martyrdom is far sweeter than dying in bed. You came to frighten us? We will not bow to any bully.”
The public discord escalated further. On May 17, 2025, Ali-Asghar Nakhaei-Rad, a member of the regime’s parliament, launched a direct attack on Shamkhani for his interview. Nakhaei-Rad stated, “[Former President] Raisi knew you well when he removed you from the secretaryship of the Supreme National Security Council. Your statements were welcomed and re-published by Trump. In what capacity do you speak for Iran?”
Adding to the criticism, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a former head of the Parliament’s Security Commission, took to social media to highlight what he portrayed as Shamkhani’s hypocrisy. Falahatpisheh wrote, “This gentleman, whose surrender-like proposal has now excited Trump, sued me six years ago for proposing de-escalation with America. During this time, Iranians have suffered greatly. At the very least, they deserve a court for those who, indifferent to the nation’s suffering, were profiteering from sanctions.”
#Iran News: MP Pushes for Nuclear Armament, Challenging Deceptive Anti-Weapon Fatwahttps://t.co/jHU2to1DTe
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 14, 2025
Conflicting Diplomatic Nuances and Stubborn Clerics
Meanwhile, the regime’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi openly admitted that Tehran enters negotiations not with goodwill, but with threats. Calling Iran’s missile arsenal a “trump card,” he effectively conceded that the regime uses military intimidation—not diplomacy—as leverage. “No enrichment facility will be dismantled,” he insisted, underscoring that the regime is not negotiating in good faith but engaging in calculated extortion under the guise of diplomacy. This stance contrasts with the unyielding rhetoric from Khamenei’s appointed Friday Prayer Imams across the country.
On May 16, 2025, several of these clerics delivered sermons underscoring an unwillingness to compromise. Ghorbanali Dori Najafabadi, Khamenei’s representative in Arak, proclaimed, “If the Americans want to use the lever of threat in negotiations, our nation will not yield to any kind of threat… Uranium enrichment has become a culture, a source of dignity, a great national and revolutionary achievement… The Islamic Republic of Iran will not retreat an inch from the path defined by the Imam and the Leader.”
In Ilam, cleric Allahnour Karimitabar warned, “The negotiating team must not be deceived by Satan’s step-by-step policies. Satan is Satan. His threats, his sanctions, his smiles, and his pleas are also satanic, and there are damaging deceptions behind these smiles and pleas.”
#Khamenei Warns of Internal Doubt as Nuclear Talks and Crises Shake #Iran’s Ruling Systemhttps://t.co/ozjsJI9KBh
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 25, 2025
Similarly, cleric Hosseini Hamedani in Karaj stated, “Uranium enrichment is an integral part of our national interests… today enrichment is a symbol of identity, national pride, and our red line… there are no negotiations on defense and missile issues, and enrichment is the undeniable right of the Iranian nation, and no enrichment facility in Iran should be shut down.”
A Regime Paralyzed by Infighting
The public airing of these divergent views, direct attacks on senior figures, and accusations of hypocrisy and profiteering from within the regime’s own ranks suggest a profound internal struggle over the direction of its nuclear policy. This cacophony not only undermines the authority of any single negotiator but also casts serious doubt on Tehran’s capacity to formulate, let alone implement, a coherent and credible approach to one of its most pressing international challenges. The visible disarray at the highest levels indicates a regime more preoccupied with internal power dynamics and conflicting interests than with presenting a unified front to the world.