Already at night, people were arguing on the streets whether it was good to accept a truce or not. They were caught on camera by Majid Nuri, who is the son of an infamous senior representative of the Iranian prison system.
“Around three in the morning, when the news (of the ceasefire) was published, there were debates and arguments between people. They are mainly shocked and upset,” said Núri, according to The Guardian.
Members of the Basij militia, which is controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, marched to the Foreign Ministry building. During the day, protesters in the streets burned the American and Israeli flags for chanting the slogans Death to America, Death to Israel, Death to compromises. The effort to calm them down was in vain, the AP agency reported.
A gift to the enemy
The editor-in-chief of the newspaper Kajhan, which is a platform for supporters of a hard-line approach, wrote a few hours after accepting the ceasefire that the ceasefire was a “gift to the enemy” that would allow him to replenish his weapons stockpile and continue the war.
The Guardian notes that it is not clear how big the percentage of hard-liners is, but reportedly few people celebrated the ceasefire in Tehran.
“A lot of people here don’t trust the United States and don’t know exactly what happened and aren’t sure whether they should be happy or worried,” said Ali, 31, from Tehran. People want the war to end with the terms set by Iran, but it is not clear whether they will be met. There is no guarantee that the ceasefire will last even after 14 days.
The ceasefire is a victory for the moderates
The decision to accept the ceasefire, as requested by the Pakistani prime minister and the chief of the Pakistani army, was made by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, headed by moderate President Masoud Pezeshkyan.
The BBC reports that even the hardliners have realized that a way out needs to be found before the country’s infrastructure is destroyed. The President of the Supreme Court, Gholamhosejn Mohseni Edžej, who belongs to the supporters of the hard line, said on state television a few hours before the adoption of the ceasefire that the country is looking for ways to end the war and at the same time maintain its superiority.
He chose similar words to the moderate former foreign minister of the country, Mohammad Javad Zarif, a few days earlier. However, he wants to speed up the processes with enemy agents who are to be executed or their property seized, the AOL server said.
The Security Council described the ceasefire agreement as a victory for Iran and called on regime supporters to remain united.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velajati said the war created a “new global power structure and orientation towards a multipolar system” in which Iran plays a larger role.
Unclear development
However, it is difficult for hardliners to accept that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will deal directly with US Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan when the slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has banned any direct talks with the Americans.
The question is also what chance the negotiations have, when Iran still demands to retain the possibility of enriching uranium and wants to control the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the oil passes.
