Who determines Iran’s fighting and negotiating position amid US threats?

Tehran, Iran – Negotiations to prevent a further outbreak of war between Iran and the United States are being held, but the stagnant process has highlighted who holds power within Iran’s government. President Masoud Pezeshkian, a relative moderate, said on Monday that his government had been given “certain powers” by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei regarding the negotiations with the US.

Pezeshkian, who has come under fire from hardliners opposed to any deal with Washington, did not give any details about what authority this entails. His comment followed efforts by mediators, including Qatar and Pakistan, to prevent new US strikes on Iran.

There have been strong indications of an impending major escalation in the conflict, which began with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials. Since then, the balance of power in Iran has increasingly shifted towards the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other security-minded officials.