Reports have emerged that hardliners inside Iran are pushing back after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.

The BBC reported on the 8th (local time) that the recent ceasefire agreement is unsettling hardliners within Iranian politics. Just a few days earlier, hardliners in Iran hung a large banner at one of the busiest intersections in Tehran reading “the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed”. The BBC said this was seen as signaling the hard line of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was chosen last month as the Supreme Leader of Iran.

However, the BBC noted that with the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, the banner may have to come down. The suggestion is that hardliners in Iran are being unsettled.

Hardliners in Iran have expressed dissatisfaction with the ceasefire agreement with the United States. Citing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the war and the heavy damage inflicted on the Gulf region through missile and drone attacks, they argue Iran held the military upper hand and therefore should have continued the war.

According to Iranian media reports, shortly after the announcement of the ceasefire some demonstrators in Tehran burned US and Israeli flags. Elements of the Basij militia under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) marched to the Foreign Ministry building to protest the decision.

In addition, Kayhan, a newspaper categorized as hardline, argued that agreeing to a ceasefire is “a gift to the enemy”, allowing (the United States) to restock supplies and continue the war.

The BBC reported that the ceasefire decision was made by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is considered moderate. China, a close partner of Iran, is said to have played an important role in persuading Iran to accept Pakistan's mediation proposal.

However, the BBC reported that even hardliners in Iran were coming to see that a solution had to be found before further destruction of key infrastructure. Over 40 days of war, more than 3,000 people have been killed according to human rights activists, and US President Donald Trump has continued to threaten larger-scale death and destruction.

A few hours before the ceasefire was announced, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the hardline-aligned chief justice, said in an interview with Iranian state television that Iran was seeking to end the war while still maintaining the upper hand.

The SNSC is currently portraying the ceasefire deal as a victory for Iran and calling on supporters of the government to unite. While shoring up internal cohesion, it is preparing for talks with the United States. According to Iranian media, Parliament (Majles) Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will lead the Iranian delegation for direct negotiations in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, with US Vice President JD Vance, the BBC reported.

Although a ceasefire has been reached, the United States and Iran have not achieved lasting peace, and if talks collapse the war could resume. The BBC reported that while some hardliners in Iran support the war, for the majority of the public the ceasefire means deliverance from the death and destruction surrounding them.