
Iran’s negotiators are stalling, but pressure at home could change everything – Beni Sabti
From I'm Jonathan Sacerdoti by Jonathan Sacerdoti
February 25, 2026 · 43 min
About this episode
Beni Sabti discusses Iran's diplomatic stalling and the potential impact of internal pressures on the regime's stability.
Donate at https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate Benny Sabti, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, joins me at a moment of acute strain for the Islamic Republic. He argues that Tehran’s diplomatic posture follows a familiar pattern: delay, repackage old positions, concede nothing essential, preserve enrichment capability and the infrastructure of coercion. This time, Washington appears less willing to indulge the ritual, framing negotiations as a final test before more forceful options are considered.Are the renewed student protests, including at the Sharif University of Technology, a sign of genuine internal fracture or another uprising destined to be crushed? Does the re-emergence of figures such as Ali Larijani signal consolidation, desperation, or preparation for succession? Could someone like Hassan Rouhani serve as a transitional figure if pressure intensifies? And if confrontation comes, would it accelerate regime collapse or entrench it through violence? These are the questions Sabti addresses as we assess how narrow Tehran’s room for manoeuvre has become.👁🗨 Watch if you want to understand whether Iran stands at the brink of war, internal…
People in this episode
Host: Jonathan Sacerdoti
Guest: Beni Sabti
Topics covered
- Iran negotiations
- diplomatic strategy
- internal protests
- regime stability
- Middle East transformation
Keywords
- Iran
- negotiations
- Beni Sabti
- internal protests
- regime collapse
- Middle East
- diplomatic strategy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Institute for National Security Studies
Places: Iran, Washington, Sharif University of Technology
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