"Iran's Internal Divisions Intensify Ahead of Second Negotiations... Uncertainty Over Resumption"

by Lee Sungmin

Published 25 Apr.2026 16:06(KST)

Clash Between Hardliners and Negotiators Over "Suspension of Uranium Enrichment"

In the lead-up to the second ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran, reports indicate that internal discord is intensifying between hardliners and negotiators within Iran.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on April 24 (local time) that Iran's leadership is currently divided over how far to make concessions in the ongoing negotiations with the United States.

"Iran's Internal Divisions Intensify Ahead of Second Negotiations... Uncertainty Over Resumption"

The main issue is the "suspension of uranium enrichment." During the first round of talks, the United States reportedly demanded that Iran suspend uranium enrichment for more than 20 years. However, hardliners within Iran, emphasizing nuclear sovereignty, are refusing even to put the issue on the negotiating table. Furthermore, according to the WSJ, the hardliners are openly criticizing and pressuring the moderates participating in the negotiations with the United States.

Mahmoud Nabavian, an ultra-hardliner who participated in the Iranian delegation during the first talks, recently gave an interview to the state-run Student News Network (SNN), in which he said, "We made a strategic mistake. We should never have made the nuclear issue a subject for negotiation," directly criticizing Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team and Speaker of Parliament.

Some analysts say that the absence of a supreme leader to reconcile these conflicts is exacerbating the situation. Iran's new leader Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly so severely injured that free communication is practically impossible, which is further fueling the power struggle between factions.

With these internal divisions in Iran, the prospects for the second round of ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran have now become uncertain. Previously, the United States announced that Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, were scheduled to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks with Iran. Abbas Araqchi, Iran's foreign minister, also arrived in Islamabad, but Iranian state media drew a line, stating that no talks with the United States are planned.