Iran Demands Reparations and Guarantees Amid Conflicting Statements on Middle East Conflict's End

Tehran/Washington - Ekhbary News Agency

Iran Demands Reparations and Guarantees Amid Conflicting Statements on Middle East Conflict's End

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday (11) laid out clear conditions for the cessation of the Middle East conflict, which has now spanned 12 days and actively involved the United States and Israel. Pezeshkian stated that peace would only be achieved with the recognition of the Persian nation's "legitimate rights" and the "payment of reparations" for the substantial damages inflicted upon the theocracy. Furthermore, the Iranian leader emphasized the necessity of "firm international guarantees against future aggressions," marking the first instance Tehran has presented explicit terms for an end to hostilities.

These Iranian demands directly clash with the rhetoric of Donald Trump. Earlier, the former American president had declared in an interview with the Axios website that "practically nothing was left to attack" in Iran, and that the war would end "when I want it to." His escalating statements culminated in the assertion that the U.S. had already won the conflict. "We won. In the first hour, the war was already over," Trump stated, a position that, according to analysts, lacks clarity and contradicts the guidelines previously established by his own administration.

Trump administration spokesperson Karoline Leavitt had previously outlined objectives including preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, destroying its ballistic missile capabilities, dismantling the Iranian Navy, and weakening its allied groups in the region. Trump and Leavitt also cited the goal of "unconditional surrender" from the Iranian regime, a term that remains ambiguous and devoid of practical details. The absence of a clear timeline or specific criteria for the conclusion of these objectives grants Trump considerable latitude to unilaterally declare an end to the war, or at least American participation in it.

Pezeshkian's mention of "legitimate rights" is widely interpreted as a veiled reference to Iran's nuclear program. Preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon—something that, while technically possible, was not on the immediate horizon—is a primary "casus belli" for both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. With Iran possessing 441 kg of enriched uranium nearing weapons-grade levels, and sufficient for up to 15 less effective bombs, the demand for reparations and guarantees appears unfeasible without an Iranian commitment to abandon its nuclear program. Given the aggressors' stance of seeking "unconditional surrender," Tehran's proposals face an arid diplomatic landscape.

While Trump oscillates between threats of obliteration and promises of a brief war—perhaps to calm the oil market, alarmed by the closure of the strait through which one-fifth of global production passes—Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz offered a more somber perspective. On Wednesday, Katz declared that the war would continue "without any time limit," signaling prolonged regional instability.

Internally, Pezeshkian's position is notably fragile. He was part of the triumvirate that oversaw the succession of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who passed away on the first day of the conflict. However, his influence has been overshadowed by Ali Larijani, head of the country's Security Council and a powerful figure with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, which holds real power in Iran. Larijani swiftly orchestrated the election of Mojtaba Khamenei, the deceased leader's son, by a clerical council in a process widely viewed as opaque. Mojtaba, also perceived as aligned with the military wing, has not appeared publicly, with the government claiming he was injured alongside his father.

Pezeshkian's marginalization became even more apparent when, on Saturday (8), a day before the announcement of Mojtaba's election, he apologized for Iranian retaliatory attacks against Arab countries hosting American bases in the Persian Gulf. This gesture, interpreted as an attempt at diplomatic overture, was publicly rejected by the Iranian military, which persisted in launching missiles and drones across the region. Even before Pezeshkian's post on X (formerly Twitter), the Revolutionary Guard had issued a statement vowing to fight "until the shadow of war is lifted" over Iran, reinforcing its autonomy and overriding the civilian president's more conciliatory stance. This complex scenario underscores the deep division within the Iranian leadership and the difficulty in reaching a consensus on an exit strategy for the conflict.

Ekhbary News Agency