(Institute for the Study of War)
US-Iran Negotiations: Some Iranian regime elements are signaling that Iran may offer relatively insignificant, nuclear-only concessions, but only if the United States offers complete sanctions relief. An agreement that lifts sanctions on Iran without seriously decreasing Iran’s ability to expand its ballistic missile and drone program or its proxy networks would pose a long-term threat to US interests in the region by enabling Iran to reinvest in these capabilities and its proxy networks.
Russian-Iranian Relations: Russia is also engaging Oman to discuss mediation efforts and appears broadly supportive of an agreement that benefits Iran by lifting sanctions while limiting Iranian enrichment and having no effect on Iran’s ballistic missile program and the Axis of Resistance.
The Iranian Regime’s Crackdown on Reformists: The Iranian regime is cracking down on Iranian reformists, which may be part of the regime’s efforts to control the narrative about the recent Iranian protests. The regime’s crackdown could be the beginning of a new level of censorship to silence any regime critics within Iran, however.
