Iran Hardliners Hope for Nuclear Deal Without US Rapprochement

Seeks Ways to End Sanctions But Stay Hostile With US

Talk of coming to terms on a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 are looming large with a deadline coming later this month. It’s well documented how many US hawks are opposed to any deal on any terms, but the situation in Iran isn’t unified either.

The hardliners in Iran can’t be publicly opposed to a nuclear deal with the Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supporting it, but they are hoping there’s some way to separate the issue from a broader rapprochement with the West.

There’s no denying that international sanctions have greatly damaged the Iranian economy, but presenting themselves as constantly at risk of attack from the US and others has been a political football the hardliners have put to great use.

It’s unclear how it would even theoretically work, but their goal is to reach some sort of deal on the nuclear issue to get the sanctions lifted, while retaining long-term hostility, particularly with the US, which has been so politically useful for them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.