Inside the growing rift between Iran’s dealmakers and ultraconservatives

Iran’s political landscape appears to have entered a new phase as two competing camps emerge: those advocating a deal with the United States and those determined to block any agreement.

Principlists have intensified their pressure on reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and conservative Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, both of whom are seeking to reach an agreement with Washington and bring an end to almost six months of hostilities.

Principlists fear that any deal could marginalise them politically and weaken their influence over Iran’s future direction.

It was in this climate that a leaked video of Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, the brother-in-law of Masoud Khamenei, the younger brother of Iran’s supreme leader, emerged as part of what critics describe as a broader hard-line campaign.

In the video, Kharrazi claimed that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had “formally and publicly announced” that if Pezeshkian attempts to resign one more time, his resignation would be accepted.

Kharrazi said that Pezeshkian, who he said had threatened resignation “27 or 28 times”, “no longer dares” to raise the issue.

He added that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had been completely sidelined from negotiations with the United States after an order from Khamenei.

Read more: Inside the growing rift between Iran’s dealmakers and ultraconservatives