The talks that led to the ceasefire produced agreements only in the final hours of the negotiations, pointing to intense pressure on Iran's leadership as President Donald Trump's threat to bomb power plants neared implementation, a US political source familiar with the talks tells Israel Hayom.
According to the source, the US demanded verification and a commitment from all senior regime officials to uphold the ceasefire, knowing that top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opposed it. What reassured the Americans was a written and signed message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approving the terms and instructing all regime personnel to obey them.
The information is noteworthy because it apparently indicates that Khamenei is functioning despite his injury. The fact that the Americans received that guarantee suggests they are probably aware of this. The Iranians said that communications problems with some units would make it difficult to relay the message to them, but continued fire toward the Gulf states throughout the day angered the Americans. Iran was told it had 36 hours to complete the ceasefire terms: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and fully ceasing all fire.
Regional concerns
Another dispute concerns Lebanon. The issue was not resolved, and in a conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump on the night of the ceasefire, the US president made that clear.
Israel is expected to continue operating in Lebanon and to stress the separation between the fronts, while also trying to include a halt to Iranian support for terrorist organizations as part of the deal. Iran, in kind, threatened that it would not reopen the strait unless Israel stopped its attacks on Hezbollah.
The Gulf states are also worried. They had hoped for the regime's collapse, or at least for a dramatic weakening of it, and now fear an agreement that would give Iran broader control over the Strait of Hormuz and lift sanctions that would restore its economic resources. At the same time, the narrative circulating in the Gulf is that Iran has surrendered to pressure.
The negotiations, which are expected to begin as early as this week under Pakistani mediation, could determine the direction of events. The key lies with the US, in its ability to deal with Iran's strategy of stalling and to secure most of the objectives that were set. The central question remains open: How will Washington act if Iran refuses the core demands, especially given the lack of a clear motivation to return to fighting?
