Iran’s public claims that it wants a diplomatic resolution to its conflict with the United States do not match the rhetoric coming from the country’s leadership and supporters, according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The Times of Israel reported that a large banner reading “We Will Kill Trump” was displayed in Mashhad, Iran, […]

Iran’s public claims that it wants a diplomatic resolution to its conflict with the United States do not match the rhetoric coming from the country’s leadership and supporters, according to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

The Times of Israel reported that a large banner reading “We Will Kill Trump” was displayed in Mashhad, Iran, where former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was buried.

Huckabee said the banner offered a clearer picture of the Iranian government’s true position than its public statements about diplomacy.

“I think it’s important for Americans to understand that what the Iranians are saying and doing is nothing that they haven’t been doing for 47 years,” Huckabee said, according to Fox News.

“This is a long-standing ‘Death to America’ chant that they’ve had. They really haven’t changed.”

Huckabee also expressed skepticism about Iran’s claim that rogue elements, rather than the government itself, were responsible for recent attacks on ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.

While some observers continue to argue that moderate voices exist within Iran’s political system, Huckabee said there is little evidence that those figures have meaningful influence over the country’s actions.

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He said it would be reassuring to believe that peaceful factions exist within the Iranian government, but “we don’t see any what I would call significant evidence that there is a real peaceful part of the Iranian regime.”

The message coming from Iran’s new supreme leader was similarly confrontational.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father and has reportedly not appeared publicly since taking power, issued a written message through Telegram calling for revenge over his father’s death.

According to The Times of Israel, Khamenei said avenging his father was “the will of the nation” and that retaliation “must inevitably” happen “soon.”

“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” Khamenei said.

“This vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out,” he continued. “These criminals — of whom we have a complete list from top to bottom — will take with them to their graves the wish for a peaceful death in bed.”

The threatening language came as regional diplomats continued expressing hope that negotiations between Iran and the United States could resume.

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Those efforts have been complicated by Iranian attacks on cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the large-scale American counterstrikes that followed.

According to The Times of Israel, the latest U.S. proposal leaves Iran with little room to negotiate. American officials are demanding that Iran publicly recognize that every channel of the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping. Iran would also have to promise that it will stop firing on ships and will not attempt to charge tolls for passage.

“What we’re demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open, and they’re not shooting at ships anymore,” one U.S. official said. “They’re either going to give us that statement, or we’re not having a good outcome for them.”

The official added that President Donald Trump had authorized continued discussions but remained prepared to respond militarily if Iran carried out further attacks.

“The president has directed us to talk but as he’s shown a willingness to do, if they keep on shooting at ships or they engage on any other hostile acts, then we’re going to hit them back,” the official said.

American officials have also made clear that Iran must surrender enriched uranium believed to be buried underground following U.S. strikes.

That demand is not open to negotiation, according to one official.

“I just want to be clear here that if we don’t get the dust, we do not have a deal with Iran,” the official said.

Taken together, the threats from Iranian leaders, the anti-Trump banner and the attacks on commercial shipping have raised serious questions about whether Iran is genuinely interested in diplomacy. U.S. officials appear willing to continue negotiations, but they have made clear that any agreement will require Iran to end hostile activity in the Strait of Hormuz and comply with American demands involving its enriched uranium.

The Western Journal