Iran News: Tehran Uses Hezbollah Disarmament Talk as Tactical Move to Delay Escalation Before U.S. Talks – Al-Arab
Screenshot of Al-Arab newspaper on April 10, 2025, featuring the headline: “Hezbollah’s Willingness to Discuss Disarmament Is an Iranian Move to Calm Tensions with Trump Ahead of Muscat Talks”
Written by
Mehdi Oghbai
In a move interpreted by observers as a calculated maneuver rather than a genuine shift in strategy, Al-Arab reported on April 10, 2025, that the clerical regime in Iran is signaling readiness to discuss the disarmament of its regional proxies — a gesture widely seen as part of a broader deception strategy aimed at buying time before high-stakes nuclear negotiations with the United States in Muscat. While Al-Arab outlines the sequence of these developments as a diplomatic initiative, the underlying premise appears to point to Tehran’s attempt to “delay strikes and participate in the Muscat meeting,” while giving the appearance of de-escalation.
“It is no coincidence,” Al-Arab wrote, “that statements from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq emerged just days before similar remarks from Hezbollah on Wednesday.” The paper emphasized this coordination reflects “a clear and calculated Iranian decision to calm tensions with Trump before Muscat talks.”
A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group is “ready to discuss the future of its weapons with President Joseph Aoun if Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and stops its airstrikes.” According to Al-Arab, such a possibility “was unimaginable just two years ago.”
#Iran News: Lebanese President’s Call to Disarm #Hezbollah Delivers Blow to Tehranhttps://t.co/oa3HQ459Kw
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 8, 2025
The report notes that the Iranian regime’s apparent silence over the recent assassination of top Hezbollah and Hamas figures — some inside Iran — as well as its muted response to the killing of Qassem Soleimani in 2020, serves Tehran’s effort to present itself as capable of both instigating and de-escalating tensions when needed. “Iran wants Trump to believe that it holds real influence and can create a climate of calm in the region just as it stirred up escalation,” the article said.
Despite the talk of disarmament, Al-Arab notes the underlying risks remain: “Lebanon cannot withstand a new war,” warned Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, calling for a diplomatic path to transfer all weapons to the state.
Ultimately, the paper portrays Iran’s latest moves not as a strategic concession, but as a tactical ploy. As Al-Arab summarized, Tehran is “buying time,” hoping to avoid further military escalation while entering negotiations in a stronger position — all while maintaining pressure on regional actors and keeping the international community guessing.