Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the hardline Kayhan newspaper closely associated with Supreme Leader Khamenei, published an op-ed sharply criticizing the ongoing US-Iran negotiations. He argued that reopening the Strait of Hormuz in any future agreement would forfeit one of Iran's most strategic pressure levers against the US and Israel, and called on negotiators to instead block the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Hossein Shariatmadari, the veteran editor of the hardline Kayhan newspaper closely identified with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, published a sharply critical column on Monday attacking the direction of ongoing US-Iran negotiations. He specifically targeted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accusing them of being willing to compromise on one of Iran's most vital strategic assets: the Strait of Hormuz.
Shariatmadari argued that the ability to close the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for roughly 20% of the world's oil transit — is a primary coercive tool in Iran's confrontation with the US and Israel. He asked rhetorically whether closing the strait had been one of Iran's central weapons in the current conflict, and questioned the logic of demanding compensation from Washington while voluntarily surrendering such leverage. Instead, he proposed shifting Tehran's pressure campaign to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the southern Red Sea gateway.
The Kayhan editor's broadside adds to a growing chorus of internal hardline criticism as the diplomatic framework nears finalization, following similar warnings from lawmakers such as Nabavian. As The Zioneer reported over the past week, top officials including Araghchi have signaled a deal is closer than ever, while Khamenei's senior advisor Ali Akbar Velayati recently declared that the 'zero hour' for military pressure had already arrived. Shariatmadari's intervention carries particular weight given Kayhan's role as a bellwether for Supreme Leader-aligned opinion. The piece was published before the recent attack on the Dahieh neighborhood in Beirut, a significant escalation on the northern front.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake