Iran moderates pushing Trump deal risk being ‘eliminated’ as regime fractures deepen

Iranian officials pushing for negotiations pinch nan United States consequence being branded traitors and "most apt eliminated," according to a argumentation expert, arsenic soul fractures look wrong Iran’s caller regime.

Hooshang Amirahmadi, president of nan American Iranian Council, said moderates advocating engagement pinch Washington are progressively susceptible astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile nan Trump management says it is successful interaction pinch elements of a "new" leadership.

"If nan moderates were to push toward speech and a ceasefire, they will beryllium considered traitors and will astir apt beryllium eliminated," Amirahmadi told Fox News Digital.

Amirahmadi’s informing came arsenic Washington besides appears to beryllium navigating soul "fractures" amid nan ongoing conflict.

President Donald Trump connected Monday said nan U.S. is engaged successful superior talks pinch a "new" and "more reasonable" authorities successful Iran arsenic nan warfare enters its 5th week, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to opportunity who precisely nan U.S. is negotiating pinch but cited "fractures."

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a bilateral gathering pinch China's Foreign Minister (not successful picture) successful Munich, Feb. 13, 2026, connected nan sidelines of nan Munich Security Conference.  ( Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

"Well, I'm not going to disclose to you who those group are, because it astir apt would get them successful problem pinch immoderate different groups of group wrong of Iran. Look, location are immoderate fractures going connected location internally," Rubio said connected "Good Morning America."

"Anyone successful Iran who speaks of speech is suspected of paving nan measurement for much warfare and destruction," Amirahmadi said earlier stating that nan mean reformers are thought of arsenic "infiltrators and deemed traitors."

Amirahmadi besides confirmed Rubio’s comments and highlighted an soul struggle wrong Tehran’s powerfulness structure, wherever remnants of what he called nan "old regime," aliases nan Khamenei-era system, still exist.

"Many of them support speech aliases a ceasefire. But nan emerging caller authorities is made up of much difficult statement elements and views nan others arsenic traitors," he said.

"For a agelong time, location has been a superior spread — what we telephone a cleavage — betwixt nan hardliners aliases radicals and nan moderates aliases reformists."

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Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, looks connected while attending a media convention astatine a convention hallway successful nan Iranian Parliament building successful Tehran, Iran, connected December 2, 2025. (  Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Amirahmadi besides described really "assassination successful nan Islamic Republic is not a caller phenomenon. It has been location for a agelong time."

Amirahmadi said up of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth saying Tuesday that Washington remains patient connected reaching an statement to extremity nan monthlong conflict involving nan U.S., Israel, and nan Islamic Republic.

Speaking astatine a property conference, Hegseth reiterated that Trump is willing to make a deal to extremity nan war, adding that the caller regime is now successful place.

"If Iran is smart, it will make a deal. The caller Iranian authorities should already cognize that. This caller regime, having undergone a authorities change, should beryllium smarter than nan erstwhile one. President Trump does not bluff and will not backmost down. He will make a deal, he is willing, and nan position of nan woody are known to them," Hegseth said.

"The section and nan warfare are successful nan power of nan extremist colonels, and that is what matters astatine this point," Amirahmadi added.

"The established bureaucracy is still tally by nan aforesaid aged mean regime, but past that is not a caller regime. The caller authorities is surely much radical," he said.

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Iran’s powerfulness building is progressively dominated by IRGC figures for illustration Ahmad Vahidi (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Since nan decease of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and nan succession of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, nan authorities appears much reliant connected nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s powerfulness building is progressively dominated by IRGC figures for illustration Ahmad Vahidi and Qods Force main Esmail Qaani, alongside judicial figures specified arsenic Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Ayatollah Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s power could person waned, figures for illustration Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council insider Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi proceed shaping Iran’s information posture.

"There are fundamentally nan colonels; location are nan Revolutionary Guards, group that are successful nan military. A fewer non-military hardliners are successful universities, successful authorities and places," Amirahmadi added.

"They person changed nan authorities into a very extremist regime," Amirahmadi warned, "I don’t moreover deliberation Khamenei’s boy would favour negotiation, astatine slightest initially."

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"His position and information are not wholly clear. His leadership appears symbolic — a reaction, moreover a motion against figures for illustration Trump."

"Trump and Netanyahu wanted authorities change, and they person already achieved it, but nan authorities has conscionable go much radical," Amirahmadi concluded.