Topic analysis

Trump may talk of regime infighting, but Iran seems united by strategy born of war

Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed intense infighting within Iran’s leadership, but experts and Iranian academics counter that the country has demonstrated strong institutional cohesion following the assassinations of senior figures, uniting around a strategy leveraging the Strait of Hormuz to demand US sanctions relief and reparations in exchange for allowing UN nuclear inspections. While minor differences exist over negotiation tactics among Iranian factions, the Supreme National Security Council drives broad consensus, and the assassination of pragmatic leader Ali Larijani may have complicated prospects for productive talks.