Iranian leaders are portraying a preliminary framework for an agreement with Washington as a strategic victory, despite the heavy military and economic damage sustained during the recent conflict. Officials have framed the negotiations as proof that Iran, cast as an underdog, was able to stand up to the United States and Israel without capitulating to demands over its nuclear program.

While President Donald Trump had previously insisted on 'unconditional surrender,' the emerging framework suggests a return to negotiations rather than decisive military defeat. Key issues such as limits on Iran's ballistic missiles, its regional allied militias, and the fate of its highly enriched uranium stockpile remain unclear or may be deferred to later talks.

Even if Tehran avoids major concessions, it faces severe economic hardship and widespread damage to critical industries. Still, analysts say Iran may claim success if it secures sanctions relief or access to frozen assets, and if it maintains its ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as a form of deterrence.

Experts caution that both sides have suffered in what became a lose-lose confrontation, and warn that turning a tentative halt in hostilities into a lasting and substantive agreement could prove difficult.