Rubio says Iran fractures as moderates risk being labeled traitors

As internal cracks emerge in Iran’s new regime, Iranian officials who push for talks with the United States risk being labeled traitors and “likely eliminated,” according to a policy expert.

Hooshang AmirahmadiThe chairman of the American Council on Iran said moderates advocating rapprochement with Washington were becoming increasingly vulnerable at a time when the Trump administration said it was in contact with elements of the “new” leadership.

“If the moderates push for negotiations and a ceasefire, they will be seen as traitors and will most likely be eliminated,” Amirahmadi told Fox News Digital.

Amirahmadi’s warning comes as Washington tries to heal internal “cracks” amid the ongoing conflict.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States was in serious talks with a “new” and “more reasonable” regime in Iran as the war entered its fifth week, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio refrained from saying exactly who the United States was negotiating with but spoke of “ruptures.”

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“I’m not going to tell you who these people are, because that would probably get them in trouble with some other groups of people in Iran. Look, there’s some internal rifts going on there,” Rubio said.Good Morning America“

“Anyone who talks about negotiation in Iran is suspected of causing more war and destruction,” Amirahmadi said, before noting that moderate reformers are “considered infiltrators and traitors.”

Amirahmadi also confirmed Rubio’s comments and highlighted the internal struggle within Tehran’s power structure, where remnants of the “old regime” or Khamenei-era system still exist.

“Many support negotiations or a ceasefire. But the new regime that has emerged consists of more hardline elements and sees others as traitors,” he said.

“For a long time, there has been a serious gap (what we call the divide) between hard-liners, or radicals, and moderates, or reformists.”

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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf looks on while attending a media conference in the conference hall of the Iranian Parliament building in Tehran, Iran, on December 2, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Amirahmadi also stated that “assassination is not a new phenomenon in the Islamic Republic, it has been there for a long time.”

Amirahmadi said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Washington is committed to reaching an agreement to end a month-long conflict involving the United States, Israel and the Islamic Republic.

Speaking at the press conference, Hegseth reiterated that Trump was willing to make a deal to end the war and added that the new regime was now in place.

Hegseth said, “If Iran is smart, it will make a deal. The new Iranian regime should already know this. This new regime, which has undergone a regime change, must be smarter than the previous one. President Trump does not bluff and does not back down. He will make a deal, he is willing and the terms of the deal are known to them.”

“The field and the war are under the control of the radical colonels, and that’s what matters at this point,” Amirahmadi added.

“The established bureaucracy is still run by the same old moderate regime, but this is not a new regime. The new regime is definitely more radical,” he said.

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Iran’s power structure is increasingly dominated by Revolutionary Guard figures such as Ahmed Vahidi (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his succession by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, the regime appears to be more dependent on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s power structure is increasingly dominated by Revolutionary Guard figures such as Ahmed Vahidi and Quds Force chief Esmail Kaani, as well as judicial figures such as Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf and Ayatollah Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence may be waning, figures such as Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council’s Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continue to shape Iran’s security posture.

“Basically, there are the colonels; there are the Revolutionary Guard, so there are people in the military. There are a few non-military hardliners in universities, in the government and in some places,” Amirahmadi said. he added.

“They have turned the regime into a very radical regime,” Amirahmadi warned: “I don’t even think Khamenei’s son will support the negotiation, at least initially.”

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“His position and situation are not entirely clear. His leadership seems symbolic; a reaction, even a gesture, against figures like Trump.”

Amirahmadi concluded: “Trump and Netanyahu wanted regime change and they have already achieved it, but the regime has become even more radicalized.”