Iran ‘terrified’ for nuclear program as Trump takes office, says analyst

Iran researcher says theregime is concerned about Trump, now willing to engage in negotiations over future of its nuclear development program.

By World Israel News Staff

The Iranian regime is extremely concerned about the future of its nuclear program and crippling economic sanctions following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, an Iranian affairs analyst told Hebrew-language outlet Ma’ariv.

Benny Sabati, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, said that “the Iranian regime is really afraid of Trump taking office.”

He noted that “every day, there is another statement from a senior Iranian official declaring that the regime wants talks and that they want negotiations and do not want nuclear weapons, and that the economic situation is difficult.”

Sabati said these statements “really scream ‘come talk to us.'”

He noted that the willingness to engage in talks was mostly coming from the more “moderate wing of the Iranian regime,” which may include President Masoud Pezeshkian and his advisers.

Sabati explained that Trump’s election had exacerbated existing schisms within Iran’s leadership.

“The regime is in conflict with itself because there are two schools of thought within the Iranian regime. Iran is in a kind of mess,” he told Ma’ariv.

With its public threats to Israel, Tehran “has climbed a very high tree, and it is difficult for it to get down.”

The conservative flank of the Iranian government includes many influential personalities who are “unwilling to agree to talks and negotiations,” Sabati said. Those leaders are pushing for Iran to emphasize its strength, along with encouraging the “Revolutionary Guards continue to bare their teeth.”

Sabati said that the Iranian people – unlike their government – are excited about Trump’s election and have high hopes for the American president’s potential impact on their country.

“The public is very happy with Trump’s inauguration. They believe that his arrival will bring about a very significant change in the Iranian regime and perhaps even overthrow it,” Sabati said.

“These are [the Iranian people’s] heartfelt wishes.”