Trump’s overture to Iran rooted in peace through strength vision
In the early hours of his arrival in Tel Aviv on Monday, and before attending the signing ceremony for a Gaza peace agreement in Egypt, US President Donald Trump announced that his next agenda item would be “peace with Iran” and added that he was ready to hear Iran’s reasons for pursuing its nuclear program.
Those remarks come against a backdrop in which the United States, bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities in June amid nuclear talks, an attack Trump later described as “complete annihilation.” Following that strike, talks between Tehran and Washington were halted. Nonetheless, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a television interviewer that Tehran would consider any proposal that took Iran’s national interests into account.
Trump’s proposal of peace with Iran raises serious questions about the motivations and objectives behind the stance. International affairs expert Hassan Beheshtipour told Iran Daily that Trumps wanted to get peace via military might.
Accordingly, Iran Daily spoke with international affairs expert Hassan Beheshtipour to get his take on the matter.
IRAN DAILY: What is Trump’s real motive in raising the issue of peace with Iran? Is he seeking total surrender, or a deal that would also accommodate Iran’s interests?
BEHESHTIPOUR: To analyze the remarks, the definitions in Trump’s mind must first be reviewed. Trump believes in achieving peace through strength. That strategy stands in direct opposition to Iran’s conception of peace, which is one through cooperation and by securing maximum benefits for all stakeholders. That view is precisely at odds with Trump’s outlook. Trump and his ally, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, believe that peace can be produced by projecting military presence and power, whereas during the months since Trump became president, and in the four years he previously held the office, he has not been able to realize peace with that approach. On the surface, that strategy may bring about ceasefires, but the main issue is root causes and such a policy cannot yield sustainable, enduring peace.
When peace is imposed on one side and its demands are ignored, it will be naturally temporary and face serious mid- and long-term challenges. Thus, Trump’s claim that he wants to make peace springs from his worldview. He seeks to obtain peace through strength, not cooperation.
However, this proposal should not be dismissed out of hand. Dialogue should be engaged, even if he intends to impose the narratives frequently floated in the media, such as demands for zero percent enrichment, limits on Iran’s missile program, or an end to Iran’s support for regional resistance groups, which Iran can simply not accept.
Given that Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Khamenei declared negotiation with the US to be a “sheer dead end,” do you think restarting talks with Washington is possible in this environment?
The Leader’s strategy has always been one of demanding rights and trying to present Iran’s interests in maximal terms. The same approach was put forward in March 2025, and yet in April 2025 permission was granted for indirect talks to take place.
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