Iran’s hardline camp has turned its fire on the country’s visible leadership, accusing President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of advancing a “soft coup” while negotiations with the United States reshaped power inside Tehran.

The anger sharpened around the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which instead of producing unity exposed raw factional hostility.

Mourners reportedly chanted “death to the compromiser” at Pezeshkian, while Araghchi was met with even harsher abuse and forced out after being pelted with rocks and denounced as a “traitorous sellout.”

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The masks begin to slip

At the center of the dispute is the claim by hardliners that Iran’s leaders are bypassing parliament, weakening revolutionary institutions, and ignoring the supreme leader’s instructions during talks with Washington.

The criticism has intensified amid the continued absence of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from public view, with radicals arguing that this vacuum has allowed other officials to consolidate influence.

Iranian hardliner Mahmoud Nabavian posted, “Warning to the people of Iran; is a coup on the way??” before doubling down after the funeral, saying, “In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup.”

Another hardline lawmaker, Kamran Ghazanfari, said the leadership was trying to elevate the Supreme Council for National Security while diminishing the role of parliament and the supreme leader, describing it as “the political coup they have designed and are carrying out step by step.”

Tempers outrun restraint

The rhetoric has not stayed confined to social media or parliamentary speeches. A security-linked religious singer, Mohammad Ali Bakhshi, issued a direct warning to Pezeshkian: “Mr. President, if the leader’s conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be us, the blade and your throat.”

He also threatened to “bring hell” on the president, although no legal action against him has been reported.

Meanwhile, the hardline lawmaker Nabavian was removed on Tuesday from parliament’s National Security Commission, a move that suggests the leadership is also pushing back against the most radical figures.

Hamidreza Azizi of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs told CNN that Ghalibaf was exerting influence to sideline the hardline camp because it had become “too costly for the system” and was exposing internal rivalries at a moment of instability.

What does this power struggle mean for Iran’s US policy?

The political split has widened as the ceasefire with the United States has come under pressure. The truce began to unravel after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards attacked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting US retaliation and renewed calls from hardliners to abandon compromise with Washington.

Former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki has urged direct action against American forces, while other hardliners continue to press for military retaliation against the US and Israel.

Even so, the reporting indicates that Iran’s top leadership still shares one broader objective: ending the conflict while securing sanctions relief and holding control over the Strait of Hormuz.

For now, though, the public clash between pragmatic negotiators and hardline loyalists has made the internal struggle impossible to hide.

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FAQs

Q1: Why are Iran’s hardliners accusing the government of a coup?

Iran’s hardliners claim senior officials sidelined key institutions and the supreme leader’s authority during negotiations with the United States.

Q2: Why is Iran’s internal political conflict attracting attention now?

The dispute intensified after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral, exposing public divisions between hardliners and the country’s pragmatic leadership.