Trump says 'Iran lies and cheats' as IRGC emerges as dominant force in negotiations with US

As President Donald Trump voiced increasing vexation Wednesday pinch Iranian negotiators, accusing them of lying and cheating, nan latest escalation has exposed an moreover much basal problem for Washington: whether nan officials astatine nan negotiating array person nan powerfulness to present an statement — aliases whether anyone successful Tehran does.

"I don’t cognize if we’re going to person a deal. We whitethorn conscionable do it without a deal," Trump said astatine nan NATO acme successful Ankara. "These people, they dishonesty and they cheat."

But Trump’s vexation pinch Iran’s negotiators is only portion of nan problem. Since nan decease of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it has go progressively unclear who successful Tehran has nan authority to make — and enforce — an agreement.

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Tehran has deployed a caller beforehand connected  social media including an power run to sway Americans and undermine President Donald Trump's push for a atomic deal.  (Hamed Malekpour / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his begetter arsenic ultimate leader aft nan elder Khamenei was killed successful nan opening U.S.-Israeli attacks connected Feb. 28. But Mojtaba has not appeared publically since nan attack, and U.S. assessments cited by Reuters person described authority arsenic dispersed among elder Revolutionary Guard commanders and powerful civilian officials.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a erstwhile IRGC commandant who led Iran’s negotiating delegation, has emerged arsenic 1 of nan country’s astir powerful surviving governmental figures.

Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of nan Iran So Far Away Substack, said powerfulness wrong nan Islamic Republic has fractured since nan decease of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaving nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arsenic nan country’s ascendant force.

"The personification who is negotiating pinch nan U.S. is not needfully personification who is endorsed by nan others," Zand told Fox News Digital.

She described Ghalibaf arsenic 1 powerfulness halfway competing pinch figures including IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi, Quds Force commandant Esmail Qaani and erstwhile Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Vahidi controls nan IRGC’s wide subject structure, while Qaani oversees its outer operations and relationships pinch Iran-aligned equipped groups crossed nan region. Zarif, by contrast, remains intimately identified pinch nan much accommodationist governmental campy that antecedently championed negotiations and sanctions relief.

"The hardliners, successful position of their governmental presence, person besides been pushed aside," Zand said. "So really, it’s nan IRGC. And wrong nan IRGC, whoever signs nan woody is not needfully signing connected behalf of everybody else. They’re signing connected behalf of themselves."

Her appraisal reflects a cardinal problem facing Washington: Iran’s negotiators, governmental institutions and subject commanders whitethorn not stock nan aforesaid mentation of what was agreed — aliases nan aforesaid willingness to instrumentality it.

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Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were greeted by Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon their presence astatine Nur Khan airbase successful Rawalpindi, Pakistan, connected April 11, 2026. (Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP)

Yet Trump’s declaration does not needfully mean diplomacy has been permanently abandoned.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, elder head of nan Iran programme astatine nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that nan clearest grounds would beryllium nan restoration of nan U.S. blockade, nan preamble of further subject forces aliases a caller information of major economical sanctions.

Otherwise, he said, Trump whitethorn proceed operating successful nan "gray zone" betwixt negotiations and unfastened warfare while keeping his options available.

The much difficult mobility is why Tehran would jeopardize sanctions alleviation and consequence overwhelming American firepower erstwhile its subject has already been severely degraded.

Ben Taleblu said Iran’s leaders look to judge escalation is basal to nan endurance of nan Islamic Republic.

"This is simply a authorities that is weaker, but lethal, and little capable, but much confident," he said. Iran’s activity believes its adversaries person susceptible economical and subject interests passim nan Gulf, he added, while nan authorities itself is much consenting to judge destruction.

People clasp placards pinch an image of Iran's caller ultimate leader Mojtaba Khamenei pinch precocious Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a gathering to support Mojtaba Khamenei, amid nan U.S.-Israeli conflict pinch Iran, successful Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) Via Reuters)

"Their endurance and their subject occurrence and their governmental occurrence runs done more, not less, escalation," he said.

Lisa Daftari, overseas argumentation expert and the editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, agrees nan escalation is deliberate, aimed astatine turning location instability into leverage.

"By targeting commercialized shipping and Arab states, nan authorities is signaling that it tin clasp world power flows and America’s location partners hostage to extract leverage, distract from its home crisis, and trial U.S. reddish lines," Daftari told Fox News Digital.

She said Tehran is betting that Washington and its Arab partners will beryllium unwilling to prolong different warfare and will yet backmost down first.

"The regime’s halfway limb is time," Daftari said. "By escalating successful nan Persian Gulf and attacking ships and Arab states, they are creating rolling crises that raise nan costs of confronting them while they consolidate powerfulness astatine home."

Daftari based on that nan strategy reflects nan Islamic Republic’s longstanding characteristic alternatively than a impermanent consequence to pressure.

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Firefighters activity successful nan aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, astatine a location fixed arsenic Bahrain (Reuters)

"This authorities was ne'er designed to beryllium reformed aliases softened," she said. "What they are showing america now is precisely who they intend to remain: a hardline, revolutionary authorities wished to enactment successful power."

But determining really that strategy is translated into action is much complicated. Authority successful Tehran appears divided, raising questions astir who is directing nan escalation and whether nan officials negotiating pinch Washington tin perpetrate nan broader information establishment.

That section is already visible successful nan conflict complete nan Strait of Hormuz.

A Middle Eastern root acquainted pinch nan rumor told Fox News Digital that Tehran and Washington are operating from fundamentally different readings of Clause 5 of nan memorandum. The publically released matter says Iran will usage its "best efforts" to put safe commercialized passage done nan strait without complaint for 60 days, while removing subject and method obstacles and conducting demining operations. It does not expressly authorities that overseas vessels must get Iran’s support aliases usage routes designated by Tehran.

According to nan source, Iran interprets that connection arsenic giving it work — and truthful authority — to coordinate shipping and find nan routes vessels usage during nan interim period. Washington’s mentation is that Iran agreed to assistance its maritime blockade and afloat reopen nan world waterway.

When nan 2 sides person different interpretations of a azygous page, really do they intend to constitute a treaty, nan root said.

Iran views power complete transition done nan Strait of Hormuz arsenic 1 of its past awesome sources of leverage complete nan United States, Gulf governments and nan world economy, nan root said, "That is nan bosom of nan matter."

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The motortruck carrying nan coffins of nan slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family makes its measurement done mourners during nan ceremonial convoy toward Azadi Tower successful Tehran, Iran, connected Monday, July 6, 2026.   (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Taken together, nan experts’ assessments propose Tehran is improbable to look a elemental prime betwixt surrendering to Trump’s unit and returning to negotiations. Ben Taleblu said nan authorities believes its endurance depends connected "more, not less, escalation," while Daftari said it is deliberately "playing retired nan clock" by creating repeated location crises. That raises nan imaginable that, moreover if Iranian officials return to nan table, nan IRGC could proceed targeting commercialized shipping, U.S. interests and American friends to sphere its leverage and fortify its position wrong Iran.