Iranian press review: Political figures expect continued but limited confrontation with US

Iranian press review: Political figures expect continued but limited confrontation with US

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Thu, 07/16/2026 - 10:25

Meanwhile, Tehran's city council considers shelters in new buildings, a reformist figure urges authorities to avoid prolonging the war

This US Navy handout photo taken on 30 June 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs shows the Carrier Air Wing 7 flying in formation over the USS George HW Bush in the Arabian Sea (AFP)

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Officials see limited conflict more likely than all-out war

A majority of Iranian political figures have said a full-scale military conflict between Iran and the US is unlikely, but warned that limited confrontations will possibly continue.

On Tuesday, Khabar Online interviewed five current and former political figures from across the political spectrum about the future of military confrontations with the US. While they offered different views on the future of relations between the two countries, most agreed that neither side appears willing to enter a prolonged war. 

Instead, they expected military pressure, limited clashes, and diplomatic efforts to continue.

Former moderate lawmaker Ali Motahari said the recent exchanges are unlikely to develop into a broader conflict.

"I don't think the current exchanges will lead to a full-scale war because neither side wants one," he said.

Conservative politician Mohsen Kouhkan expressed a similar view, saying Washington is not prepared for a protracted military conflict.

"The US is not ready to enter a full-scale, long-term war," he said, arguing that Washington's recent threats were intended mainly to increase pressure rather than to start a wider conflict.

Tehran to expand shelter network

The Tehran City Council is considering a plan that would require shelters and safe spaces in many buildings across the capital and allow metro stations and public parking facilities to be used as emergency shelters.

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The proposed plan suggests that officials consider the possibility of continuing military conflicts.

Following the two wars that the US and Israel launched against Iran since June 2025, residents, civil society activists, and urban planning experts criticised the lack of shelters to protect people during attacks. 

According to the Shargh daily, the plan would require Tehran Municipality to build public shelters. The municipality would also have to prepare metro stations, underground parking facilities, and other public spaces to serve as emergency shelters during military attacks.

The plan would also require developers to include protected areas in new buildings.

Under the proposal, new buildings would have to include shelters designed for military attacks, and developers would not receive completion permits without meeting the requirement.

Reformist cleric calls for confronting pro-war voices

Masih Mohajeri, a cleric and politician close to Iran's reformist political groups, has called for confronting pro-war voices inside the country.

In an opinion piece for the Abrar daily, Mohajeri criticised groups that oppose ending the military confrontation with the US, who insist on avenging the killing of Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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He argued that prolonging the war would be counterproductive to achieving that goal.

Mohajeri described the governments of the US and Israel as "fascist and racist", arguing that a single military action would not be enough to confront them.

He wrote: "To save contemporary humanity from the crimes of these two criminal regimes, we must think strategically. If we speak of revenge, it must be revenge against the structure [of their ideology] so that the roots of the conspiracies and crimes are eradicated."

Mohajeri said that continuing the war is what Israel and hard-line groups in the United States want and said it would ultimately harm Iran.

He concluded: "Decision-makers must act wisely and make careful decisions, not allowing the country to fall into the trap of war. Iran must, with patience and perseverance over the long term, build itself in such a way that it can burn out the roots of these two criminal regimes."

Analyst says supreme leader's adviser has little influence

The remarks by Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have received significant media attention outside Iran but little inside the country.

Ahmad Zeidabadi, a prominent Iranian political analyst and former political prisoner who lives in Iran, dismissed Rezaei's recent comments on the importance of the Strait of Hormuz, saying he has little political weight in Iran's national and regional policymaking.

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On Sunday, the ISNA news agency quoted Rezaei as saying about the Strait of Hormuz, "This strategic passage is more important than dozens of atomic bombs."

The quote was later reported by The Times of Israel, prompting a response from Zeidabadi.

Zeidabadi, who has been imprisoned several times in recent years for his comments and media activities, rejected Rezaei's position and questioned the significance of Rezaei's views in Iran's current politics in a post on his Telegram channel. 

He also discussed why the comments were published by The Times of Israel.

"Is Mr Rezaei's role in the Islamic Republic's decision-making system important enough for his comments to become the front-page story of a major Israeli newspaper? It is not," he wrote.

Commenting on the Israeli media coverage, he added: "The Israeli press is making major stories out of events in Iran that are not really major."

Although in Iran's official political rhetoric Rezaei is described as an adviser to the supreme leader, Iran's political system includes several advisory positions that are largely ceremonial and intended to preserve the status of former officials while real decision-making remains within the country's central leadership.

*Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by MEE.

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