Following the recent imposed war, Iran shifted the game by closing the Strait of Hormuz – a renewable, low-cost threat. Unlike other cards, this credible leverage forced the US into negotiations and to make concessions.

With firm control of the Strait of Hormuz, expanded battlefronts, and undisclosed strategic assets, Iran will concede nothing and negotiate with the US only on its own terms because it’s Iran that holds the cards now.

During FM Araghchi's latest visit to Islamabad, Iran snubbed US negotiators and laid out firm and principled red lines for any future talks – even as a likely false-flag shooting in Washington sought to divert attention from a failed war and manufacture sympathy for Trump.

Iran holds a clear upper hand after the recent 40-day imposed war, exercising firm control over the Strait of Hormuz, standing its ground on nuclear rights, and keeping unused cards – including NPT membership.

America's primary goal in West Asia is securing energy flow, where identity and ideology are irrelevant, Israel acts as the enforcer, and Iran's refusal to submit makes it the main target.

With Iranian leaders united and Trump's fantasy of "internal divisions" shattered, the US finds itself empty-handed - no military victory, no economic leverage, no psychological warfare left – only defeat and lies to hide that.

After a major military defeat and diplomatic debacle in Islamabad, a desperate US has lost all leverage and is now peddling lies about Iran's “internal divisions” to hide ground realities.