Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid the fragile ceasefire and reports that the US and Israel may resume their war on Iran anytime, Tehran has another crisis to tackle: its President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf are seeking to remove Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over his alleged ‘subservience’ to IRGC chief Ahmed Wahidi, who is now seen as calling the shots.
According to media reports on Friday, the internal political crisis in the top leadership—or whatever remains of it now—surfaced when Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war began on February 28. US President Donald Trump has also said that there is some confusion regarding the leadership in Tehran.
A report in Iran International said on Thursday that while the war-torn country is still trying to navigate tensions with the US, Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf are seeking to remove Araghchi over his alignment with the Islamic Republican Guard Corps (IRGC), the de facto power in Iran, even bypassing the theocratic and political leadership, besides the Iranian armed forces.
Iran’s existing top political leadership has accused Araghchi of following Ahmad Vahidi’s instructions in nuclear talks without even informing the President. They believe that Araghchi has acted more like an aide to Vahidi and less like a cabinet minister tasked with implementing government policy.
According to Iran International, over the past two weeks, Araghchi has acted without informing Pezeshkian, in full coordination with Vahidi and on his directives.
Pezeshkian reportedly told people close to him that, if it continues, he will dismiss Araghchi.
Pezeshkian v/s Vahidi
Reports also reveal serious disagreements between Pezeshkian and Vahidi. Their dispute stemmed from “the handling of the war and its destructive consequences for people’s livelihoods and the country’s economy.”
Vahidi reportedly announced that all key and sensitive managerial posts must, until further notice, be directly selected and run by the IRGC, stripping the Iranian President of authority to appoint replacements for government officials killed during the war.
Pezeshkian was “frustrated” at being placed in a “complete political deadlock.”
Ghalibaf-led negotiations
Internal divisions within Iran’s legislature became evident when a group of hardline lawmakers declined to sign a parliamentary statement supporting the negotiating team.
Despite support from 261 other MPs, prominent figures aligned with Saeed Jalili, a hardline politician and withheld their signatures.
Following this dissent, Ghalibaf stepped down as head of Iran’s negotiating team, having been reprimanded for trying to include nuclear energy in the talks. He led the Iranian delegation in Islamabad during the first round of talks with the US.
Araghchi has since taken over the negotiations. He also arrived in Pakistan’s Islamabad to hand over Tehran’s peace proposal, and even visited Russia.
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