NEWSWEEK
A Grim Message for Iranians
Ilan Berman
April 1, 2025

…Over the past half-year, its extensive proxy network has been largely dismantled by Israel, which has methodically taken the fight to Iran’s main Palestinian ally, Hamas, to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and to Iran itself. As a result, the regime now finds itself in its weakest regional position in decades. For the moment, at least, Iran’s ayatollahs are playing coy. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump’s overture as “a deception,” maintaining that Tehran and Washington don’t have anything to talk about. But the adverse conditions above suggest Iran’s leaders may decide to make a deal with the United States after all, and likely sooner rather than later. If they do, the Trump administration could find itself throwing a lifeline to a failing, deeply unpopular regime desperate to preserve its hold on power. READ MORE