Iran prefers conflict with US over peace to suppress internal uprising, human rights activist warns

close Video Why Iran prefers perpetual low-level conflict to a peace deal with the US The vulnerable regime is more afraid of widespread domestic unrest, says Dr. Majid Sadeghpour, a human rights activist and the political director of the Organization of Iranian-American Communities. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hören Sie sich diesen Artikel an 3 Min Regime leaders in Iran are more content to see continued confrontation with the United States and its Gulf neighbors rather than pursuing peace in an effort to keep their disenchanted population at bay, one expert says. U.S. forces have launched airstrikes against Iran in recent days following a brief pause in hostilities amid renewed flare-ups in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran isn't as concerned about military action against the country, but rather discontent among Iranians, Dr. Majid Sadeghpour, a human rights activist and the political director of the Organization of Iranian-American Communities, told Fox News Digital. TRUMP RETALIATES AFTER Iran ATTACK AS EXPERT WARNS REGIME IS GROWING MORE DANGEROUS Fires are lit as anti-government protesters rally Jan. 8 in Tehran. Iran prefers a low-level conflict with the United States over peace to focus the attention of its citizens elsewhere, one human rights activist warned. (Getty Images, File) Sadeghpour noted that U.S. officials offered guarantees to Tehran that provided a pathway to peace for Iran. "You get America to give you a guarantee that it wouldn't seek regime change. Nevertheless, they still attacked ships afterward," Sadeghpour said. "They still attacked our bases in Jordan and Bahrain. So that speaks to the fact that the real threat to the regime is not the bombs from outside, but rather the population uprising." INSIDE TEHRAN: IRANIANS DESCRIBE IRGC'S BRUTAL RULE, POVERTY — ASK TRUMP TO 'STAY THE COURSE' Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman. President Donald Trump says he isn't focused on bringing Tehran to the bargaining table. (Reuters, File) "For a regime that's militarized and requires friction, its survival now depends on that friction," he added. Iran has experienced major uprisings in recent years driven by economic collapse, high inflation, and deep discontent with the regime's strict religious interpretation of Islam. In addition, the Iranian government has suppressed anti-government riots and protests with deadly force and arbitrary arrests and detention, according to human rights observers. The war with the U.S. helps the regime, Sadeghpour said, by refocusing the Iranian public's attention elsewhere. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to target commercial ships in the strait in violation of an agreement not to do so, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday. Iran ACCELERATES EXECUTION CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTI-REGIME ACTIVISTS AMID INTERNET CENSORSHIP Regime leaders in Iran such as supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei are content to see continued confrontation with the U.S., an expert says. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images, File) "The Iranians are doing what the Iranians do," Vance said. "I think that they're losing their capabilities by the day. I think they're realizing… that their control over the Strait of Hormuz is effectively gone, and it's a diminishing asset." In order to effect regime change, the U.S. should focus its efforts on the Iranian population, said Sadeghpour, because Iranian leaders will likely drag out the conflict with the U.S. for as long as they can. "The regime is thinking about the day, the hour after the exhausted population gets calm, and will immediately look around, 'how am I going to get rid of this regime? And who's going to help me do that?' And so that is what the regime is afraid of," he said. TRUMP REVIVES Iran REGIME CHANGE SPECULATION WITH CRYPTIC CALL FOR PEOPLE TO 'RISE UP' Marines aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) stand watch in the Arabian Sea during naval blockade operations against Iran. (U.S. Central Command) Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he isn't focused on bringing Tehran to the bargaining table, saying he "couldn't care less" if Iran signs a "worthless" agreement. "They are just playing out the inevitable," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?" Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.