Key Takeaways:
- Instead of negotiating in good faith with the United States, the Islamic Republic continues to heighten tensions in the Middle East by acting belligerently, refusing to budge from its stated positions, and flexing its authoritarian muscle at home.
- Recently, Iran has fired missiles at American bases in Jordan, turned down an Omani proposal for shared control over the Strait of Hormuz, and is reportedly awaiting a large shipment of air-defense missiles from China.
- At home, the regime has returned to executing dissidents while also controlling internet access and harshly putting down protests.
Another day, another opportunity for Iran to show the world that it has not at all changed its behavior.
Instead of presenting itself as a serious negotiating partner keen on de-escalating the conflict between it and the United States, the Islamic Republic is using every chance it gets to re-enforce its stubborn belligerence, flex its authoritarian muscle, and heighten the tensions in the Middle East.
As HonestReporting recently noted, since U.S. President Donald Trump called off the recent American bombing campaign of Iran in favor of negotiations, the Iranians have been using their proxies in Iraq and Yemen to do their dirty work by attacking American allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq.
Following the publication of that report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian regime’s ideological military force, raised the stakes in the Middle East by firing several missiles at American military bases in Jordan.
At the same time, it has been reported that Iran rejected an Omani proposal for the even splitting of the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, with the Islamic Republic demanding the lion’s share of the contested waterway.
Coupled with reports that Iran is about to import hundreds of shoulder-fired air-defense missiles from China, it is clear that Tehran has no interest in reducing tensions in the Middle East and reaching an accommodation with the U.S. and its regional allies.
Instead, the Islamic Republic seems intent on bringing the Middle East to the brink of another full-blown regional shoot out, convinced that it can expand its sphere of influence and reach a ceasefire that is more to its advantage despite the heavy military and economic losses that it suffered during multiple rounds of conflict with Israel and the United States in 2025 and 2026.
This intransigence and belligerence is the direct result of a fanatical anti-American ideology that prioritizes fundamentalism over strategy, and militancy over practicality.
Along with its increasing belligerence, the Islamic Republic has also lately been exerting its authoritarian power, re-asserting its control over millions of Iranian citizens.
In a recent incident, the Iranian regime executed two prisoners who had been arrested during the January 2026 protests that had rocked the Islamic Republic.
In the lead-up to the executions, the Iranian regime is reported to have turned off the internet and used force against masses of civilians who had come to protest the impending executions, reportedly killing a young female protester.
According to Beni Sabit, an expert on the Iranian regime, this flexing of the Islamic Republic’s authoritarian muscle is due to Tehran’s growing sense of self-confidence and power since the conflagration with the U.S. and Israel ended in early April.
It is this self-confidence that allows the regime to act belligerently in its dealings with the U.S. and harshly with its own citizens.
As Iran’s delusional sense of self-confidence grows both domestically and internationally, it is clear that the Islamic Republic will become more repressive at home and more intransigent abroad.
This lack of self-awareness on the part of the Iranian regime heightens tensions in the Middle East, and could lead to another full-blown regional battle.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
