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FILE PHOTO: Brawl between MPs in Iran’s parliament (Majlis)
Two-minute read
Tehran is facing one of the deepest political crises of Khamenei’s rule. One year into Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidency, the Majlis has taken the unprecedented step of summoning six of his sitting ministers—Economy, Oil, Energy, Health, Agriculture, and Cooperatives—for questioning over policy failures and alleged mismanagement. While framed as routine oversight, the move underscores growing parliamentary hostility toward Pezeshkian and signals intensifying infighting among regime factions competing for influence within Khamenei’s system.
Adding to the turmoil, Hassan Rouhani has resurfaced, deploying calculated rhetoric about “national reforms” and the need to “rethink governance” in light of the regime’s mounting crises. Behind this language lies a direct challenge to Khamenei’s survival strategy: Rouhani’s camp advocates renewed diplomacy with the West, concessions on the nuclear program, and structural economic reforms. Accepting these demands would amount to strategic retreats for the entire regime — something Khamenei fears would demoralize his already fractured base and embolden the restive society.
Meanwhile, the so-called ‘Reformist Statement’ issued by revisionist regime insiders has deepened existing fault lines. By calling for direct negotiations with the U.S., halting uranium enrichment, and easing restrictions to prevent ‘snapback sanctions,’ its authors are mounting a last-ditch effort to save the regime from a chain of consequential crises that they fear could ultimately trigger a nationwide uprising.”
#Tehran’s Leaders Split Over War, Talks, and Moralehttps://t.co/6pr5MEasXc pic.twitter.com/5BT3EsXe6H
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 21, 2025
Hardliners erupted in outrage. Ahmad Alamolhoda, Khamenei-appointed Friday prayer leader in Mashhad, likened its signatories to “Ash‘ath ibn Qays,” invoking betrayal of the Prophet to paint them as traitors. Allahnour Karimitabar, the Friday prayer leader of Ilam, warned these moves mirror Libya’s path to surrender under Gaddafi, while Tasnim News, aligned with the IRGC Quds Force, accused the so-called reformists of “serving U.S. and Israeli agendas.”
Crucially, even within the so-called reformist camp, divisions are widening. Mohammad Qouchani blasted the statement as reckless and politically suicidal, while Azari-Jahromi, Rouhani’s former ICT minister, dismissed it as “a surrender plan disguised as diplomacy.” Others, like Ali-Asghar Shafieian, Pezeshkian’s media adviser, warned that amplifying such proposals “plays into the enemy’s hands.”
Rival Factions in #Iran Turn on Each Other as Dread of Opposition Intensifieshttps://t.co/2EKAzCkyGT
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 19, 2025
As once-taboo debates now surface openly among the regime’s factions — from hardliners to sidelined elites — it reveals not strength but the erosion of Khamenei’s authority. What was previously unthinkable even inside the regime is now on the table, a clear sign of his diminishing control. Every concession to dissent exposes fractures at the top; every attempt at repression further alienates parts of the ruling elite. This unraveling dynamic underscores not resilience, but weakness at the very core of the system, signaling to society that the regime’s grip is faltering and that defiance is increasingly possible.
Tehran’s power struggles are no longer just about influence within the regime — they’re about the regime’s ability to hold itself together.