Iran’s hardline factions are accusing the country’s top political leaders of staging a “coup” against the Islamic Republic as the fragile ceasefire with the United States all but collapsed this week following Revolutionary Guard attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ultra-conservative figures, including radical lawmakers and regime loyalists, have escalated accusations that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are consolidating power while the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains largely hidden from public view. According to CNN, during the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last week, mourners chanted “death to the compromiser” directly at Pezeshkian, and a mob pelted Araghchi with rocks while accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.”
The hardline accusations stem from the visible leaders’ negotiation and signing of the ceasefire agreement with the Trump administration in June, which hardliners view as a surrender rather than a strategic pause. “Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??” radical lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian asked on social media before the funeral, later writing that “we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup.” According to CNN, hardliners believe the government is defying the orders of the new Supreme Leader and suspending parliament to consolidate control.
The collapse of the ceasefire has strengthened the hardliners’ hand. This week, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to assert control over the strategically vital waterway, prompting retaliatory US strikes. According to Reuters, Iran wants all ships using the Strait to travel through a channel close to its shores, and the military has made no secret of its intention to enforce this demand. The renewed hostilities mark a dramatic reversal from the June agreement that had briefly lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Experts attribute the hardline accusations partly to the continued absence of the new Supreme Leader. Arash Azizi, a US-based Iran analyst and author, told CNN that “Mojtaba’s continued absence means that they don’t have access to him and also that Ghalibaf and allies are effectively in charge of the country… the ultra-hardliners have thus accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a ‘coup’ against Mojtaba.” The younger Khamenei, who inherited the position after his father’s death in February during Israeli airstrikes coordinated with the United States, has not addressed the nation directly or visibly asserted authority since his succession.
On Tuesday, Nabavian, the hardline lawmaker who has been one of the leading voices warning of a coup, was removed from his position on parliament’s National Security Commission. According to CNN, he had previously attempted to derail the ceasefire agreement by leaking its text to media before it was signed. Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told CNN that Ghalibaf is “exerting influence to sideline these hardline elements,” noting they are “too costly for the system” as Iran’s situation becomes unstable.
Despite the visible splits between the new leaders and hardliners, observers say the regime remains unified around a core objective: ending the war on terms that deliver sanctions relief and preserve Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz. However, the hardliners’ substantial presence in parliament and at the national broadcaster IRIB, combined with their influence among security forces, gives them leverage to push back against the ceasefire framework and demand renewed confrontation with the US and Israel.
Sources
- CNN — hardline accusations of coup, funeral hostility toward leaders, Khamenei’s absence, expert analysis on power dynamics, removal of Nabavian from commission
- Reuters — Iran’s demands regarding Strait of Hormuz control, shipping attacks
