March: 14, 2026
While US President Donald Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegsett are making bellicose statements, trying to prove once again in each statement that they have eliminated Iran’s military potential, the information in the Lebanese press recently confirms that Iran is putting forward preconditions for the resumption of negotiations.
Representative of the Iranian authorities Mohsen Reza announced that Iran is ready to negotiate the end of the war only under two conditions.
“The end of the war is in our hands. We will consider the issue of ending the war only when, first, we receive full compensation for all our losses from the United States, and second, we receive a 100% guarantee for the future, which is impossible without the withdrawal of the United States from the Persian Gulf,” he said.
The other day Lebanese “Al Mayadeen” TV channel, citing his sources, wrote that Iran rejects mediated ceasefire initiatives and sets its own conditions for starting negotiations with the United States. “Iran rejects all initiatives for a mediated ceasefire because it has conditions and wants real guarantees,” the message stated.
According to the TV channel, the leadership of the Islamic Republic rejects the current proposals of the mediators, considering them insufficient, and insists on clearer obligations. In particular, Tehran demands from the US guarantees of non-aggression in the future, compensation payments and an agreement that Iran will be able to implement a full nuclear fuel cycle in its nuclear power plants.
Foreign Minister of Iran Abbas Araghchi had announced that negotiations between Tehran and Washington would probably not be discussed under the new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei. On the same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharib Abadi announced that several countries, including Russia, China and France, have appealed to Iran for a ceasefire. He emphasized that the first condition of Tehran’s cease-fire is the guarantees of non-repetition of aggression.
Also on March 9 Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that Tehran is ready to ease tensions if the territories of neighboring countries are not used to attack the republic. By the way, on the occasion of the Al-Quds holiday yesterday, there were multi-million marches in the bombed cities of Iran, including the participation of high-ranking leaders, Ali Larijani, Masoud Pezeshkian, Seyed Abbas Araghchi and others.
There are reports from Iran about the preconditions for negotiations, and the President of the United States Donald Trump announces that US forces have “completely destroyed” military installations on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island in one of the most powerful bombings in Middle East history, and the US Navy will soon escort the ships through the Strait of Hormuz. “Minutes ago, at my direction, United States Central Command launched one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East and completely destroyed every MILITARY target on Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social network.
“Our weapons are the most powerful and the most advanced the world has ever known, but for reasons of decency, I have decided not to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island,” the US president added, warning that if Iran “or anyone else” took any action to obstruct shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, he would reconsider his decision. It should be noted that the export terminal of 90 percent of the country’s oil is located on Kharg Island, which is about 25 km from the coast of Iran and about 480 km from the Strait of Hormuz.
And while Trump and Hegsett announce the defeat of Iran, The Wall Street Journal, citing three US officials, reports that the Pentagon is deploying additional Marines and warships to the Middle East in response to increased attacks by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett has approved a request from US Central Command, which is responsible for US forces in the Middle East, to create an amphibious assault group and an attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines, officials said. The Japan-based USS Tripoli and the Marines attached to it are currently en route to the Middle East, the two officials said. Marines are already in the Middle East, supporting the operation against Iran, the officials added,” the media outlet writes.
168.amin a conversation with Russian military analyst Vladimir Yevseyev said that the statements of the US leadership, especially Trump and Hegsett, that Iran is “crushed”, are mostly a component of the information-propaganda war, rather than a complete description of the situation.
According to him, this is characteristic of the current US President Trump, his staff, and during wars, such rhetoric is often used to give confidence to the domestic audience and to exert psychological pressure on the enemy. However, according to him, the fact that the US continues to involve forces shows that the military and political confrontation is not over, the situation is unstable and unpredictable.
According to Yevseyev, the hardening of rhetoric by Iran is not an immediate sign of defeat or victory.
According to his conviction, in the Iranian military-political culture, the martial language is often used to maintain internal unity and show the politics of resistance in the face of external pressure.
He believes that Tehran always tries to show that it is ready for a long confrontation, even under military pressure. According to him, this approach was formed both from the experience of regional conflicts and from the security doctrine, which emphasizes the strategy of playing on the resistance and time factor.
“It is more likely that both sides are trying to create a beneficial informational and psychological environment against the background of the ongoing military and political struggle. If the standoff drags on, and it drags on, which is believed to be against the US and in Iran’s interests, the decisive factor will be not only the outcome of the military conflict, but also who can more effectively maintain alliances, economic resilience and regional influence.
Naturally, Iran feels more confident in the region, and uses oil inflation as a playing card against the US president, as well as resistance. How correct these calculations will be, time will show better, but the initial plan and calculations of the USA, I think, was not to prolong the situation to this extent,” Yevseyev said.
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