Kayhan LondonThe first day of the new round of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the Donald Trump administration took place exactly 30 days after the bloody massacre of protesting citizens in January 2026. While these negotiations are seen by the Islamic Republic as a pretext to find a chance for the “survival of the regime”, a number of officials and supporters of the government have linked them to the public protests. The first day of the new round of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the Donald Trump administration took place exactly 30 days after the bloody massacre of protesting citizens in January 2026. While it is a victory for the protesting Iranian nation, they know that four weeks ago they staged the largest anti-government protests in the history of the Islamic Republic, and of course, they were suppressed in the most brutal way possible.
However, war, negotiation, and peace between the United States and the Islamic Republic are a triad that is taking place outside of the Iranian people’s anti-government freedom struggles. The current freedom movement of the Iranian people is rooted in the national, historical, and social values of the Iranian people, and in recent years, with its emphasis on the integrity, solidarity, and interests of the entire nation, it has been seen by citizens as a “national cause.” The effects of the movement’s standing on national foundations are visible in the slogans, symbols of the struggle, and even the reactions of the families of the victims. The current freedom-seeking movement of the Iranian people is rooted in the national, historical, and social values of Iranians, and in recent years, with an emphasis on unity, from its widespread geographical distribution across the country and the participation of citizens in more than 200 cities in recent protests, to the raising of the Lion and Sun flag in protests and the emphasis on the sacrifice of the fallen to the “homeland.”
Linking the Iranian freedom movement to any factor outside of national will and ability, including negotiation and agreement, could erode the movement’s progress or diminish the central and determining role of the people. The government, which has today become a filthy appendage attached to Iranian society, is in conflict at two levels: the international system and our national system. The border between the Islamic Republic and the people of Iran is a border made of blood. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly shown, especially in the protests of January 2026, that it relies only on bayonets and the machine of killing and repression; even many government analysts who are concerned about the survival of the system consider it impossible to bridge the deep chasm between the government and the people.
On the other hand, the Islamic Republic may reduce the concerns of the international system, the United States, and its partners by being flexible and flexible, or may try to categorize the differences with them so that they can be more easily controlled and managed, but the reality is that in any case, its problem with our national system will be resolved when it no longer exists! As a result, the Iranian nation’s struggle with the Islamic Republic will continue until the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, whether in a state of war between the government and the United States or in a state of peace with the Donald Trump administration.
