Iranian moderates advocating Trump deal risk elimination as regime fractures deepen

(SeaPRwire) –   Iranian officials advocating for talks with the U.S. face the risk of being branded traitors and “most probably eliminated,” a policy expert has warned, as rifts appear within Iran’s new leadership.

Hooshang Amirahmadi, head of the American Iranian Council, noted that moderates pushing for engagement with Washington are growing more exposed at a time when the Trump administration claims to be in touch with parts of a “new” leadership.

“If moderates move to push for negotiations and a ceasefire, they’ll be seen as traitors and will almost certainly be eliminated,” Amirahmadi told Digital.

Amirahmadi’s caution came as Washington itself seems to be dealing with internal “rifts” during the ongoing conflict.

On Monday, President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. is holding serious discussions with a “new” and “more rational” regime in Iran as the war enters its fifth week, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to identify who exactly the U.S. is negotiating with but mentioned “rifts.”

“Look, I won’t tell you who those individuals are, because it might land them in hot water with other groups inside Iran. There are some internal rifts happening there right now,” Rubio said on “Good Morning America.”

“Anyone in Iran who talks about negotiations is suspected of clearing the path for more war and destruction,” Amirahmadi said, adding that moderate reformers are viewed as “infiltrators and labeled traitors.”

Amirahmadi also backed up Rubio’s remarks and pointed out an internal conflict within Tehran’s power structure, where traces of what he refers to as the “old regime”—the Khamenei-era system—still remain.

“Many of them favor negotiations or a ceasefire. But the new regime taking shape consists of more hardline elements that see the others as traitors,” he stated.

“For a long time, there’s been a significant divide—what we term a cleavage—between hardliners or radicals and moderates or reformists.”

Amirahmadi also described how “assassination isn’t a new occurrence in the Islamic Republic; it’s been around for a long while.”

Amirahmadi’s comments came before Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Washington is committed to securing an agreement to end the month-long conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and the Islamic Republic.

At a press conference, Hegseth repeated that Trump is ready to strike a deal to end the war, noting that the new regime is now established.

“If Iran is wise, it will make a deal. The new Iranian regime should already understand that. This new regime, which has gone through a change in leadership, ought to be smarter than the last one. President Trump doesn’t bluff and won’t back off. He’s willing to make a deal, and the terms are known to them,” Hegseth stated.

“The battlefield and the war are controlled by radical colonels, and that’s what’s important right now,” Amirahmadi added.

“The existing bureaucracy is still managed by the same old moderate leadership, but that’s not the new regime. The new regime is definitely more radical,” he said.

Following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba Khamenei taking over, the regime seems to depend more on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s power structure is more and more controlled by IRGC figures like Ahmad Vahidi and Qods Force head Esmail Qaani, along with judicial officials such as Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Ayatollah Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei.

Although President Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence may have decreased, figures like Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council insider Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi still play a role in shaping Iran’s security stance.

“Essentially, there are the colonels; there are the Revolutionary Guards—people in the military. A small number of non-military hardliners are in universities, government, and other places,” Amirahmadi added.

“They’ve turned the regime into a very radical one,” Amirahmadi warned, “I don’t even believe Khamenei’s son would support negotiations, at least not at first.”

“His role and situation aren’t fully clear. His leadership seems symbolic—a response, even a gesture, against people like Trump.”

“Trump and Netanyahu wanted regime change, and they’ve already gotten it—but the regime has only become more radical,” Amirahmadi concluded.