US-Iran deal would “postpone final battle,” Iranian daily warns

An Iranian newspaper has said a possible deal between Iran and the United States would only postpone what it described as a final confrontation rather than resolve core disputes between the two countries.

In a commentary, the conservative daily Khorasan said any agreement at this stage should be viewed as an arrangement to end the current escalation rather than a lasting settlement of tensions between Tehran and Washington, Iran International reports.

“The issues between Iran and America, and especially Iran and Israel, have reached the level of an existential battle that will in practice end only with the decisive victory of one side,” Khorasan wrote.

The paper said negotiations and agreements would have limited impact on that trajectory, describing them instead as a temporary phase ahead of what it called the “final battle.”

It added that the main function of a deal would not be recognition of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, the release of frozen Iranian assets, or other tangible gains, but rather “postponing the final battle.”

“The main function of this agreement is a breathing space and a chance to rebuild offensive and defensive combat power and prepare for a full-scale and major battle,” the paper wrote.

The commentary reflects hardline scepticism in Iran over the value of a potential memorandum of understanding with Washington, even as Iranian officials have said a text is in its final stages of review and could be signed remotely if negotiations conclude.

By Aghakazim Guliyev