• العربية
  • فارسی
Brand
  • Iran Insight
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Analysis
  • Special Report
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Live TV
  • Iran Insight
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Analysis
  • Special Report
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Live TV
  • Theme
  • Language
    • العربية
    • فارسی
  • Iran Insight
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Analysis
  • Special Report
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Live TV
All rights reserved for Volant Media UK Limited
volant media logo

Trump in Tehran? Former Iranian envoy floats Hail Mary talks to avoid war

Behrouz Turani
Behrouz Turani

Iran International

Jan 28, 2026, 19:48 GMT+0
Two women walk past a banner posted by authorities in a main Tehran square depicting an Iranian attack on a US aircraft carrier
Two women walk past a banner posted by authorities in a main Tehran square depicting an Iranian attack on a US aircraft carrier

As the threat of attack by the United States looms, Iranian commentators are sounding the alarm on the existential danger they see to Tehran, with one former envoy even saying US President Donald Trump should be hosted for talks.

Iran’s US- based former ambassador to Germany Hossein Mousavian said that the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian should invite Trump to Tehran as a step toward de-escalating tensions which could crescendo into an attack that threatens the Islamic Republic’s rule.

“Trump genuinely wants direct talks with Iran,” he told outlet Ensaf News in an interview.

“Pick up the phone and speak to him. Do not waste time as the situation is critically dangerous … I repeat: if you do not act immediately, Iran may face military confrontation with the United States, Israel, and NATO.”

In a more sober assessment, Iranian political commentator Reza Nasri warned “unlike his predecessors, Trump can wage a swift and clean war against Iran without imposing additional costs on US taxpayers or repeating past mistakes.”

Nasri warned against complacency about some Trump’s more conciliatory messaging, saying “any premature optimism about de-escalation can lead to dangerous miscalculations by lowering the state of alert and imposing heavy costs on Iran’s security.”

The US threat comes after Trump vowed to come to the defense of protestors before authorities unleashed one of the deadliest crackdowns on unrest in modern history, killing thousands.

Nasri, cleaving to the theocracy’s official discourse, described the demonstrations as “one of the most difficult and complex threats in Iran’s recent history and a project aimed at disintegrating the country and collapsing its political system.”

“This project has failed for now,” he added. “But a combination of domestic crisis, foreign threats and economic and psychological warfare still looms.”

Meanwhile, hardline Tehran commentator and social media personality Ali-Akbar Raefipour raised the alarm to an even louder pitch, saying without providing evidence that foreign preparations for a complex armed attack were already underway.

“Mutiny and targeted assassination cells may be activated if Iran is attacked. Their goals include killing prominent individuals and seizing sensitive centers,” he wrote on X.

“In recent days, we have seen equipment flowing into Iran for these groups.”

Most Viewed

Can Iran's fragile economy survive Trump's 'Economic D-Day'?
1
ANALYSIS

Can Iran's fragile economy survive Trump's 'Economic D-Day'?

2
ANALYSIS

UAE trade halt threatens one of Iran’s remaining economic lifelines

3
ANALYSIS

Turkey’s gas pivot leaves Iran with fewer cards to play

4

With the war quieting, Iran's hijab crackdown gathers pace again

5

Trans woman prisoner says she was raped in Iran Intelligence Ministry detention

Banner
Banner

Spotlight

  • Ghalibaf's hunger warning sparks hardline backlash over showing weakness
    INSIGHT

    Ghalibaf's hunger warning sparks hardline backlash over showing weakness

  • Iran crude loadings plunge to one-seventh of pre-war level as blockade bites
    ANALYSIS

    Iran crude loadings plunge to one-seventh of pre-war level as blockade bites

  • Turkey’s gas pivot leaves Iran with fewer cards to play
    ANALYSIS

    Turkey’s gas pivot leaves Iran with fewer cards to play

  • Can Iran's fragile economy survive Trump's 'Economic D-Day'?
    ANALYSIS

    Can Iran's fragile economy survive Trump's 'Economic D-Day'?

  • The unlikely return of European diplomacy in the Iran-US conflict
    ANALYSIS

    The unlikely return of European diplomacy in the Iran-US conflict

  • For Iranian journalists, exile can last a lifetime
    OPINION

    For Iranian journalists, exile can last a lifetime

Banner