Anticipation and Pushback in Iran as Mediators Work to Finalize Deal with US
Iranian markets show optimism as an interim deal with the US nears, but hardliners fiercely oppose, and Qatari mediators have arrived in Tehran to finalize negotiations.
In Tehran and other Iranian cities, tensions are rising as the country moves closer to signing an interim agreement with the United States. While markets respond with optimism – the national currency strengthens, gold prices fall, and the stock exchange hits a new record – hardliners are voicing sharp criticism.
On Sunday, the Iranian rial strengthened to around 1.68 million against the US dollar on the open market, a slight improvement from the all-time low of 1.9 million last month. The price of gold coins also dropped by about 5% to 1.71 billion rials (approximately $1,010). The Tehran Stock Exchange's main index rose by 123,000 points to nearly 4.82 million points, a new all-time high.
However, not everyone is pleased. Hardliners, including some parliament members and religious leaders, are urging no concessions to the US. The Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), suggested that Iranian officials are unlikely to sign on Sunday because it is US President Donald Trump's birthday – the man responsible for killing former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. MP Mohammad Mannan Raisi from Qom called for maintaining dignity.
Mahmoud Nabavian, an ultra-hardline lawmaker, is one of the most vocal opponents. On state television, he displayed what he said was the latest draft of the agreement, arguing it throws away perceived political and military gains after months of war with the US and Israel.
Some hardline supporters even threatened to oppose the deal if it is approved by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. However, Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the revolution's founder, urged trust in the leadership structure. The government-run daily Haft-e Sobh republished an old interview with assassinated armed forces chief Mohammad Bagheri, who stressed the need for compromise, recalling the end of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
While Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, lead the talks, Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Sunday to help finalize the deal. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs, seemingly to provoke a reaction from Iran that could jeopardize the agreement. A Tehran resident expressed caution, noting that short-term market changes will not solve long-term problems.
