As the United States and Iran peace talks remain deadlocked, cracks are widening within the Iranian leadership with a report suggesting that President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are now seeking the ouster of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
A mentions that Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf have accused Araghchi of following the instructions of Revolutionary Guard chief in nuclear talks in Pakistan without informing the Iranian president.
Quoting sources having knowledge of the developments within the Iran Cabinet, Pezeshkian and Ghalibag have accused Araghchi of acting less as a cabinet member, and more as the aide of the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi. Araghchi has also been accused of bypassing President and implementing policies based on Vahidi’s instructions.
The report quoted sources as saying that Pezeshkian, dissatisfied with how Araghchi has handled the job in past few weeks, told people close to him that he will dismiss the Iranian foreign minister if he continues.
Earlier, some reports had indicated significant friction between Vahidi and Pezeshkian.
It was also reported that the Iranian president was stripped of his authority to appoint replacement of the officials who were killed during the war with the US and Israel. The report added that Vahidi had insisted the vacant posts be filled and directly controlled by the Revolutionary Guards.
As noted by Iran International, the President feels undermined by the Foreign Minister’s shift towards the military command during sensitive diplomatic manoeuvres.
On the legislative front, the internal friction was visible on 27 April when a group of hardline lawmakers refused to sign a parliamentary statement backing the negotiating team. Despite support from 261 other MPs, prominent figures aligned with Saeed Jalili withheld their signatures, illustrating the fractured nature of the domestic political landscape.
Araghchi subsequently sought to take over the leadership of the negotiations, eventually travelling to Islamabad alone on 24 April to deliver a proposal that was later rejected by the US President.
Recently, and discussed various aspects of the West Asia crisis. The phone conversation came two days after Araghchi held wide-ranging discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
“Received a phone call from Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi of Iran this evening,” Jaishankar said on social media, adding, “Had a detailed conversation about various aspects of the current situation. We agreed to remain in close touch.”
(With agency inputs)
