Iran hardliners accuse leaders of ‘soft coup’ as US truce comes under fresh strain: Report
Iran’s most hardline political factions have accused senior government officials of staging a “soft coup” against the country’s revolutionary leadership, deepening internal divisions as a fragile ceasefire with the United States comes under renewed pressure, according to an exclusive CNN report.The accusations have intensified following the funeral of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, where President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly faced public hostility. According to CNN, mourners shouted “death to the compromiser” at Pezeshkian, while Araghchi was forced to flee after being pelted with rocks and branded a “traitorous sellout” over his role in negotiating a ceasefire and sanctions relief with Washington.The backlash reflects growing anger among Iran’s ultra-hardline factions, who believe the country’s leadership surrendered to the United States instead of avenging Khamenei’s killing. They also accuse officials of ignoring the authority of the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained largely out of public view since succeeding his father.Hardliners have alleged that President Pezeshkian, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Araghchi are consolidating power while Mojtaba Khamenei remains absent from public life. Arash Azizi, a US-based Iran expert and author of What Iranians Want, told CNN that the new supreme leader’s continued absence has fueled the allegations.“Mojtaba’s continued absence means that they don’t have access to him and also that Ghalibaf and allies are effectively in charge of the country… the ultra-hardliners have thus accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a ‘coup’ against Mojtaba,” Azizi said.Days before Khamenei’s funeral, hardline lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian publicly questioned the government’s intentions.“Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??”Following the funeral, he added:“In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup.”CNN reported that the funeral became a rallying point for Iran’s most hardline supporters, who demanded renewed military action against the United States and rejected any agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration.The ceasefire has since come under fresh strain after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting US retaliatory strikes and renewed calls from hardliners to abandon the truce.Even before hostilities resumed, hardline figures had openly threatened members of the government.“Mr President, if the leader’s conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be us, the blade and your throat,” Mohammad Ali Bakhshi, a security-linked religious singer loyal to the Iranian regime, warned Pezeshkian. “We will bring hell upon you.”Another hardline parliamentarian, Kamran Ghazanfari, accused senior officials of weakening the authority of the supreme leader.“They are trying to elevate the role of the Supreme Council for National Security while diminishing the role of the supreme leader and parliament. This is the political coup they have designed and are carrying out step by step.”According to CNN, Nabavian and another lawmaker critical of the US agreement were removed this week from parliament’s National Security Commission, a move analysts see as part of efforts by Iran’s visible leadership to sideline the country’s most radical factions.Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told CNN that officials are attempting to curb the influence of hardliners.“We’re seeing Ghalibaf exerting influence to sideline these hardline elements. They are too costly for the system and they’re bringing their rivalries out in the open especially as the situation in Iran becomes unstable.”Despite the growing infighting, analysts cited by CNN said Iran’s leadership remains broadly united on ending the conflict in a way that secures sanctions relief while preserving Tehran’s influence over the Strait of Hormuz. However, Mojtaba Khamenei’s continued absence and rising pressure from hardline factions have raised fresh questions over the balance of power inside the Islamic Republic.Former Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki also called for direct action against US forces.“My suggestion is that we go to one of the US bases in the region, where there are hundreds, maybe thousands of these American terrorists. It would be enough if we take 100 soldiers and bring them back to Iran.”
