Iran said it was prepared for a possible armed conflict with the United States, but was also open to diplomatic negotiations amid growing tension between the two countries. The investigation is by Américo Martins, at the CNN Behind the Scenes.
“The Iranian government made a statement that the country would be prepared for war in response to pressure from the Americans, who are threatening to attack points in Iran, as President Trump himself said, but the minister also said that there is room for dialogue”, Martins pointed out regarding a statement made by Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi.
The situation in the Persian country has worsened in recent weeks, with popular demonstrations being harshly repressed by the authorities. According to reports, hundreds of people were killed and arrested during the protests, although it is difficult to confirm the exact numbers due to information restrictions imposed by the regime.
“This situation in Iran is starting to get out of the control of the Iranian authorities themselves,” said Martins: “With a high number of people being killed, repressed and also arrested.”
The demonstrations, which began with economic demands, quickly evolved into political protests against the ayatollahs’ regime. Protesters have been protesting against the high cost of living, high inflation and the devaluation of the national currency, but they have also called for an end to the dictatorship that has governed the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
American threats and Iranian stance
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has threatened to carry out attacks against strategic points in Iran if the repression against protesters continues. “Iran is trying on the one hand to resist this, but it has also shown that it could talk to Washington,” said the analyst.
Despite the apparent openness to talks, analysts point out that it is not clear what the terms of a possible negotiation between Washington and Tehran would be. The Iranian regime accuses agents linked to the United States and Israel of trying to expand the protests to destabilize the government.
“The problem is that it is not clear what the terms of a negotiation between the United States and Iran would be. These are popular uprisings that happen from time to time in Iran, they are always repressed with an iron fist by the dictatorship”, reflected Américo Martins, explaining: “These are protests for the fall of the regime, they are protests for changes in the economy, because the cost of living is very high […] It’s increasingly turning into a political protest and there wouldn’t be some kind of negotiation that could be done with President Donald Trump that would resolve this issue.”
“Trump can make some type of negotiation with, for example, in exchange for Iranian oil, but this will not resolve the issue of the protesters”, he pointed out.
Iran is facing a moment of political and economic fragility, aggravated by conflicts in the Middle East that have altered the country’s position in the region. Despite international sanctions and the diplomatic isolation that the country has faced for decades, the ayatollahs’ regime has demonstrated resistance and the ability to survive in adverse situations.
