Iran Hard-Liners Denounce Pezeshkian, Araghchi and Qalibaf After War Talks

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing CNN, Iran's political rifts have deepened as hard-liners accuse senior officials of staging a "soft coup" against the Islamic republic and its revolutionary ideals after reaching an agreement with the United States. The split was exposed during the funeral events for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, when mourners at an earlier Tehran funeral procession shouted at President Masoud Pezeshkian to "die, compromiser," called Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi a "traitor," and threw stones that forced him to leave.

Hard-liners attending Khamenei's funeral said Pezeshkian, Araghchi and Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had not sought revenge for Khamenei and had instead signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States without the approval of Mujtaba, which they equated with surrender. Arash Azizi told CNN that Mujtaba's continued absence means the hard-liners cannot reach him and have instead accused Qalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a coup; Kamran Ghazanfari said the leaders were trying to strengthen the Supreme National Security Council to sideline the supreme leader and parliament. Mohammad Ali Bakhshi later threatened Pezeshkian in public, while observers said Iran's leaders are trying to marginalize the ultra-hard-line faction even as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gains influence.