Analysis-Diplomacy or defiance: Iran’s rulers face existential choice after US-Israeli strikes

By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI (Reuters) -Weakened by war and diplomatic deadlock, Iran’s clerical elite stands at a crossroads: defy pressure to halt its nuclear activity and risk further Israeli and U.S. attack, or concede and risk a leadership fracture.

For now, the Islamic Republic establishment is focusing on immediate survival over longer-term political strategy.

A fragile ceasefire ended a 12-day war in June that began with Israeli air strikes, followed by U.S. bunker-busting bombings of three…