Following President Donald Trump’s announcement that nuclear negotiations with Iran had resumed, Tehran’s denial, and Trump’s angry response, C14 has obtained new details from a source close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to the source, no official negotiations are currently taking place between the United States and Iran. The only contact consists of phone messages exchanged between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and American envoys, as well as indirect communication through mediators in Qatar and Pakistan.
The source claims Iranian leaders believe they currently hold the upper hand and are waiting to see when President Trump will lose patience. Internal disagreements within the regime’s leadership are now considered largely irrelevant.
The source also said Mojtaba Khamenei and the leadership in Tehran have concluded that “the Americans cannot be trusted,” and that the hardline approach advocated by IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi is the course Iran should follow.
According to the source, Tehran believes it must remain tough with the United States, stand firm, and avoid showing any weakness. Iranian leaders are said to believe President Trump will not take any decisive action before November. As a result, the regime’s strategy is to increase its leverage in hopes of securing the financial relief it desperately needs.
The source further claims that Mojtaba Khamenei now agrees with Vahidi’s approach and has effectively allowed the IRGC commander to run the strategy. “What Ahmad Vahidi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, says is what determines policy,” the source said.
The balance of power inside Tehran has shifted—and whoever controls that balance may now shape the future of Iran’s confrontation with the United States. Whether Tehran ultimately returns to negotiations or doubles down on confrontation, the source claims the decision will rest with one man: IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi.