Iran International
Prominent centrist figures in Tehran are calling for pragmatic measures including a rethink of relations with Washington to address Iran’s deepening economic problems and foreign policy challenges.
The ideas floated include a Hamas-inspired peace initiative to defuse external threats, and a sweeping cabinet reshuffle to inject “agility” into an administration facing a multitude of crises.
“There is a third option between surrender and refusal to negotiate,” renowned journalist Mohammad Ghoochani wrote in the moderate daily Sazandegi (Construction).
“That third way is active resistance against Western neo-colonialism. We should surprise the world by ending our passive diplomacy, just as Hamas did.”
Ghoochani now serves as the political chief of the centrist Executives of Construction Party, founded by allies of the late Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani—widely regarded as the Islamic Republic’s most pragmatic leader.
“The current situation is a continuation of the old ‘neither war nor negotiation’ strategy. But the war has already happened. We cannot continue living in suspension,” Ghoochani added.
He also criticized Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for refusing “to sit with countries that have attacked Iran,” arguing that Tehran’s absence from the Gaza peace summit in Egypt amounted to ceding regional leadership to Israel.
‘Strategic, not tactical’
Party Secretary General Hossein Marashi also weighed in on the prospect of rapprochement with Washington, while condemning what he described as U.S. attempts to influence Iran’s defense and security policies.
“If talks are to be constructive, both sides must focus on shared concerns, chiefly reducing regional tensions,” he said.
“Any dialogue between Iran and America must be strategic, not a tactical move, which seems to be Washington’s approach.”
He warned that continued Western pressure would only deepen Iran’s alignment with Moscow and Beijing, arguing that diplomacy should be guided by national interest rather than ideology.
Marashi’s comments on foreign policy dovetailed with his economic critique—delivered in the same week—underscoring the party’s call for a broader change of course.
‘A hungry nation can’t resist’
In an editorial published last week, Marashi issued a stark warning:
“A hungry nation entangled in economic hardship and unemployment cannot sustain resistance.”
He called for a major reshuffle of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet to address Iran’s economic malaise, which he linked primarily to sweeping international sanctions.
“For 20 years, our target was 8% annual economic growth. But we’ve averaged just 1%, meaning Iran has effectively regressed by 7% each year,” he wrote in a Sazandegi editorial.
He later blamed hardliners for the “costly maneuvers” that, in his view, led to the snapback mechanism being triggered by European powers and the reimposition of UN sanctions.
Still, he reserved his harshest criticism for those attacking Iran, while defending Tehran’s record in recent conflicts in an interview with the moderate outlet Didar News:
“Many Iranians criticize the Islamic Republic’s policies, but no decent Iranian would accept compromising the country’s security or its legitimate defense rights.”
