Tensions within Iran’s leadership have reportedly intensified, with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly seeking the removal of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to Iran International, a UK-based media outlet focused on Iranian affairs, both the leaders have accused Araghchi of bypassing the presidency to follow directives from the Revolutionary Guard.
The rift reportedly arises from allegations that Abbas Araghchi has acted less as a cabinet minister and more as an aide to Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.
Sources familiar with the matter suggest that the Foreign Minister has been working in close coordination with Vahidi and is allegedly implanting policy decisions based on his instructions without informing President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The internal disagreement has reportedly caused deep dissatisfaction for Masoud Pezeshkian, who is said to have told close aides that he may remove Abbas Araghchi if the situation continues.
According to Iran International, the President feels sidelined by the Foreign Minister’s alignment with the military leadership during sensitive diplomatic engagements. These developments come amid earlier reports highlighting deepening divisions within Islamic Republic’s administration.
Earlier disagreements between Masoud Pezeshkian and Ahmad Vahidi were reported on March 28, with sources telling Iran International that the dispute centred on “the handling of the war and its destructive consequences for people’s livelihoods and the country’s economy.”
The ongoing power struggle has reportedly placed the President in a “complete political deadlock,” with claims that he has been stripped of the authority to appoint replacements for officials killed during the conflict.
Ahmad Vahidi has reportedly maintained that, given the wartime situation, all key administrative positions should be directly chosen and managed by the Revolutionary Guards.
Separately, internal divisions were also evident in the legislature on April 27, when a group of hardline lawmakers declined to sign a parliamentary statement supporting the negotiating team.
Despite backing from 261 other MPs, several influential figures aligned with Saeed Jalili withheld their signatures, underscoring the growing fragmentation within the country’s political establishment.
According to Iran International, the parliamentary dissent came after Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stepped down as head of the negotiating team following a reprimand for trying to include nuclear energy matters in the discussions.
Subsequently, Abbas Araghchi reportedly moved to assume leadership of the negotiations and later travelled alone to Islamabad on April 24 to present a proposal that was ultimately rejected by the US President.
