TEHRAN — Iran’s leadership quickly moved to frame the Pakistani-mediated two-week ceasefire with the United States as a strategic victory. Brokered after roughly 40 days of escalating conflict, the truce requires Tehran — among other conditions — to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a temporary suspension of US strikes.

Talks on a longer-term arrangement are expected to begin in Islamabad this weekend. Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in a statement following the announcement of the ceasefire by President Donald Trump, insisted that Tehran's own 10-point plan — including continued uranium enrichment, war reparations and recognition of its regional posture — will form the basis of negotiations.

State media have presented the agreement as a moment of triumph. Television broadcasts described it as "Trump's humiliating retreat," while outlets aligned with the security establishment emphasized that Washington had been "forced" to accept Iran's terms. The narrative highlights battlefield resilience, domestic mobilization and what officials portray as strategic coherence under pressure.

Yet even as this narrative of victory takes hold, it is being challenged from within the system itself.