{"id":330492,"date":"2025-04-13T20:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T19:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=330492"},"modified":"2025-11-04T19:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T18:35:53","slug":"khameneis-defiant-display-masks-iranian-regimes-unease-amid-u-s-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/nuclear\/khameneis-defiant-display-masks-iranian-regimes-unease-amid-u-s-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"Khamenei\u2019s Defiant Display Masks Iranian Regime\u2019s Unease Amid U.S. Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with senior military commanders in Tehran on April 13, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

One day after high-level negotiations between representatives of the Iranian regime and the United States took place in Muscat, Oman, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared in Tehran alongside senior military commanders in what observers describe as a familiar act of face-saving theatrics. Khamenei, along with media outlets affiliated with his office<\/a>, remained silent on the Oman talks, but his speech was laced with deflection, bravado, and subtle cues aimed at reassuring a shaken political base grappling with the regime\u2019s shift from \u201cno negotiations\u201d to quiet diplomacy with its longtime adversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the enemy is frustrated and nervous about our progress,\u201d Khamenei declared in his April 13 address to the regime\u2019s top military officials. \u201cA lot of the noise you hear in the media and from our enemies stems from their confusion \u2014 they have no other option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avoiding any direct reference to the negotiations in Oman, Khamenei instead doubled down on rhetoric glorifying Tehran\u2019s military posture. \u201cThanks to the activities of our armed forces \u2014 the IRGC, the army, the police \u2014 the face of the Islamic Republic has become admirable in the eyes of the world,\u201d he claimed. \u201cThose who follow current affairs in different countries and regions look at Iran and feel awe and grandeur.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a striking moment of rhetorical deflection, Khamenei appeared to downplay the operational effectiveness of the Iranian regime\u2019s missile program, stating, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how many missiles were launched or how many hit the target. These are secondary issues.\u201d By framing precision and outcomes as inconsequential, the Supreme Leader implicitly acknowledged recent military shortcomings\u2014possibly in reference to Tehran\u2019s much-hyped but tactically underwhelming missile barrage against Israel. Yet the intent was clear: to reassure the armed forces that their role remains intact, regardless of battlefield realities or diplomatic backtracking.<\/p>\n

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Why #Iran<\/a>'s Regime Cannot Negotiate with the U.S.https:\/\/t.co\/Saa010Slk8<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n