Iranian hardliners accuse leaders of staging a coup amid fragile US ceasefire
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Hard-line factions in Iran claim that officials who negotiated a cease-fire with the United States are undermining the supreme leader, while the truce shows signs of collapse after recent attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
During the week-long funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, mourners shouted slogans against President Masoud Pezeshkian and top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, accusing them of compromising Iran's revolutionary principles. Hard-line groups, which have grown increasingly vocal in recent weeks, allege that the officials who signed a cease-fire agreement with the United States are conducting a "soft coup" against the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view.
Radical lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian warned on social media that a coup might be imminent, and later pledged vengeance for Khamenei’s death. Analysts cited by the report said that the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei has left negotiators such as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian and Araghchi as the most visible authorities, prompting accusations that they are usurping power.
The cease-fire, which had been fragile since its signing, deteriorated after the Revolutionary Guards attacked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting retaliatory U.S. strikes. Hard-liners responded with threats against the president and calls to resume hostilities with Washington and Israel.
Parliamentary hard-liners, including Nabavian, were recently removed from the National Security Commission, a move described by a hard-line parliamentarian as part of a broader effort to diminish the supreme leader’s authority and elevate the Supreme Council for National Security.
Experts noted that the visible leadership is attempting to marginalize the hard-line faction, which, while numerically small, holds influential positions in parliament and state media. Despite internal disputes, the regime appears unified in seeking an end to the conflict that secures sanctions relief and maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz.