What lessons will Iran’s new leadership draw from the 110-day war?

AI Summary

Following a 110-day war, Iran's new leadership is poised to adopt more authoritarian policies while prioritizing relations with China. The direction chosen will influence US negotiations on nuclear arms and could reshape the Middle East's geopolitical and economic landscape.

Now fighting is over, the question is how Iran’s government will behave. Early clues point to more authoritarianism and prioritising relations with China The precise ideological lessons that Iran’s new leadership draws from the 110-day war may prove to be the overriding factor in determining whether negotiations with the US culminate in an agreement that verifiably prevents the country from developing a nuclear weapon – an outcome that could usher in a new era for the Iranian economy while also reshaping the Middle East. Does this rapidly assembled leadership team, forged in the fire of war, still represent an Islamic ideological crusade – a description coined by Henry Kissinger – or does the acceptance of the memorandum of understanding, in the words of JD Vance, denote a desire for pragmatism? Continue reading...