According to The New York Times, officials in Iran are considering negotiating and reaching a compromise with incoming President Donald Trump, instead of acting hostile as in the past.

Iran has long disdained Trump, who conducted cyberwarfare operations against his presidential campaign and worked through various individuals to assassinate the former president in recent years.

With Trump locked in a second term, some Iranian officials are questioning whether the best way forward is to deal with Trump diplomatically, according to five officials. spoke to the Times. This sentiment is shared in the Iranian media and among former officials.

“Don’t miss this historic opportunity for change in Iran-US relations,” said Hamid Aboutalebi, a former political advisor to the Iranian government and well-known politician. wrote In an op-ed urging Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian to congratulate Trump on his presidential victory, the Times reported.

Seeking a diplomatic solution with Trump would represent a major shift in Tehran’s thinking. Trump withdrew the United States from the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, reimposed tough sanctions and assassinated top general Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

In response, Iran is targeting Trump and openly calling for violence against him. As recently as Friday, US officials said three people had been killed. charged Attempting to assassinate Trump, one of many such hoaxes organized by or linked to Iran.

Five Iranian officials told the Times that Trump’s election to a second term represents a new opportunity to repair U.S.-Iran relations. Trump is known for his deal-making and negotiation skills, which could be beneficial to Iran’s progress, officials said. Trump has also become the undisputed puppet of the Republican Party; This means that any deal made could have longer-term permanence.

The president-elect has vowed to end ongoing conflicts between Israel and Iranian-sanctioned terrorist networks in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, officials told the Times.

Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is described as more moderate than his stricter predecessor. According to the Times, a report by Shargh, Iran’s leading news source, states that he should “avoid past mistakes and adopt a pragmatic and multi-dimensional policy.”

Pezeshkian’s ability to deal with Trump will be limited by his power, even if he wants to work with the new US president. In Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has final authority over the country’s decisions, and Pezeshkian will be required to carry out any decision Khamenei makes before it is finalized.

Khamenei has lashed out at Trump and banned officials from negotiating with Trump’s team during his first term.

Iran’s future relationship with Trump will also depend on how Trump deals with Tehran. Trump said that he did not want evil for his country, but that the United States would not allow the regime to build nuclear weapons. In a more recent incident, Trump suggested that Israel go after Iran and destroy its nuclear facilities.

Trump said, “Shoot the nuclear first, worry about the rest later.” in question during a campaign event in October.

But according to Brian Hook, Trump’s former policy adviser on Iran who now serves on the president-elect’s transition team, Trump is “not interested in regime change” and also says Iran is “a major driver of instability in the Middle East.” he understands. .

Some Iranian officials’ previous belief that a Democratic president would be friendlier than a Republican president has disappeared, according to the Times. Given that US sanctions are already stifling Iran’s economy, Tehran is running out of options and a deal with Trump may be the best way forward.

“We do not want more sanctions and more instability. But at the same time, a comprehensive deal with Trump needs to give us some leeway to save face and justify it domestically,” political analyst Rahman Ghahremanpour told the Times. “That will be the biggest challenge.”

Originally published by Daily Caller News Foundation