Iranian officials warn Khamenei about the risk of the regime's collapse

Iranian officials warned Ali Khamenei about the possibility of war and the risk of the regime's collapse.

According to reports in the New York Times, which quoted two senior officials in the Islamic Republic, in a meeting held to respond to Donald Trump's letter about direct negotiations, the heads of the three branches of government and senior officials of the Islamic Republic asked Ali Khamenei to change his position of opposition to direct negotiations with the United States. The officials warned that the risk of war with the United States and an escalation of the economic crisis would lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic.

According to two senior officials of the Islamic Republic who were aware of the details, then-President of Iran Masoud Pezzekian and the heads of the three branches of the judiciary and the Islamic Consultative Assembly met with Ali Khamenei in a meeting. They, along with a group of senior officials of the country, sent a clear and unvarnished message to Ali Khamenei in an unprecedented move: “Let Tehran negotiate directly with Washington, even if necessary, because otherwise the survival of the Islamic Republic will be seriously threatened.

"Iran now faces a collapsing economy, a free fall in the value of the rial against the dollar, and severe shortages of fuel, electricity, and water. The threat of war with the United States and Israel is very serious, and if we refuse to negotiate or if negotiations fail, military attacks on the two main nuclear facilities will be inevitable."

These officials stated that a war on two fronts would be an existential threat to the Islamic Republic's system, and in a war situation, Iran would be forced to respond militarily; an issue that could lead to a wide-scale war, further shatter the country's economy, and cause widespread domestic protests and more strikes.

According to two senior officials who did not want to be named, Ali Khamenei has backed down from his position and has authorized the start of negotiations as follows: "In the first stage, indirectly and through a mediator, and in the event of positive progress, in the form of direct dialogue between Iranian and American negotiators."