'Pezeshkian will end the Islamic regime': Iranian hardline MPs rally against President

In a major move, hardliners in Iran are openly rallying against President Masoud Pezeshkian for "overstepping his boundaries" and "attempting a coup against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei." Over 30 MPs have called for his dismissal, some accusing the President of attempting to normalise relations with Israel. 

 

The rift between hardliners and moderates spilt out in the open after conservative MP Abolfazl Zohrevand put up a video that has gone viral, against the President. "The Pezeshkian administration will end the Islamic Revolution before the conclusion of his term," he said, adding that the moderates believe that by ending the revolution and terminating Khamenei’s rule, they can begin a new era and join the Abraham Accords.

 

When asked if this amounted to a coup, Zohrevand replied, “What else could this be if not a coup d’état?” 

 

The MP said he was horrified when he heard Pezeshkian's words on negotiations. Pezeshkian wrote on X on Monday that he still believed the window for diplomacy was open. 

 

The President also came under fire for his interview with Tucker Carlson after the hardliners accused him of flattering Donald Trump and downplaying religious fatwas calling for the US president’s execution. "He should have explicitly named ‘America’ and the ‘Zionist regime’ and treated them as one and the same," according to Javan, a newspaper linked to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), referring to the President's bid to exclude the US from Israel.

 

His statement that the regime's slogan 'Death to America'  was not meant to be taken literally triggered the hardliners. "He said the condition for negotiations is that there is no attack during them; that is, attack after negotiations! That is, despair for surrender," the MP said. 

 

Though Khamenei has not commented on the rift, a close adviser to the Supreme Leader addressed the clash, disapproving of the growing pressure on Pezeshkian. "(Some) groups of Iranian politicians and political organisations are attempting to challenge the President’s political competence," news outlet Asr-e Iran quoted Mohammad Mokhber as saying. “(It’s) a wrong move.”

 

However, reformists fear that the stance of hardliners could lead to another war. "Hardliners offer no way forward and lack public support,"   reformist analyst Saeed Laylaz told the Financial Times. "Their main concern isn’t ideology. It’s being left out of any future US agreement."

Middle East