In recent statements from several Iranian officials, including the absent “Supreme Leader” Mojtaba Khamenei, a strong consensus emerged about their strategy for handling the ongoing crisis with the United States. They firmly denied any signs of political dissent among them.
This declaration came right after President Donald Trump highlighted on his platform that a major hurdle in negotiations with Tehran is the stark disagreement within his own administration regarding how to engage with Iran. In light of the political instability in Iran, Trump decided to delay planned discussions with Pakistan and to extend a ceasefire that was initially set to conclude on Tuesday.
Pakistan is currently working to facilitate peace talks between the two nations after the Pentagon initiated a significant military campaign on February 28 aimed at debilitating Iran’s terrorist capabilities, particularly its extensive missile and drone inventory. The operation, called “Epic Fury,” coincided with actions taken by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and resulted in the deaths of numerous key Iranian figures, including the former leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Before this military initiative, notable figures like President Massoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly voiced their support, even though they fall under the authority of the “Supreme Leader.” After Khamenei’s passing, his son Mojtaba was named as the successor, though it’s uncertain how much actual influence he wields, given his lack of public appearances and tendency to release only written statements.
On Thursday, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written statement arguing that, contrary to the notion that there are divides among Iran’s leaders between pro-dialogue “moderates” and “hard-liners,” it is actually the Trump administration that is experiencing internal conflict.
As reported by the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency, someone identifying himself as Ayatollah Khamenei remarked, “The peculiar unity that has arisen among our compatriots has caused a split among our adversaries.”
He went on to say that “enemy media operations aim to manipulate public perception and disrupt national unity and security. We must ensure that our inaction does not allow this malevolent intention to succeed,” the statement added.
Both Araghchi and Pezeshkian have echoed sentiments of unity, with rumors suggesting Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf might be included in this ideological coalition. They used similar language to deny the existence of any discord, yet neither one explicitly named Trump as the source of these claims.
“Iranians are more united than ever,” Araghchi expressed in a social media post.
He claimed that “Israel’s failure to eliminate terrorists shows how Iran’s institutions continue to operate with determination and cohesion.”
In a similar vein, President Pezeshkian asserted that “there are no ‘hard-liners’ or ‘moderates’ in Iran,” which contradicts longstanding perceptions of Iranian politics and the regime’s own facade of allowing dissent.
“We are all Iranians and revolutionaries. By maintaining the unbreakable unity among the nation and showing obedience to the Supreme Leader, we will ensure that invaders regret their actions,” Pezeshkian stated. “One God, one nation, one leader, one path. For Iran, victory is paramount.”
Ghalibaf expressed a very similar sentiment.
“There are no radicals or moderates in Iran. We are all ‘Iranians’ and ‘revolutionaries’, unified beneath the Supreme Leader’s guidance,” his social media account conveyed.
On Tuesday, Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire that had just ended and suggested that he believed the Iranian regime was significantly fractured.
“Given the divisions within the Iranian government, and upon the request of Pakistan’s General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,” Trump noted on Truth Social, “we have been asked to pause attacks against Iran while our leaders devise a unified proposal.”
He indicated that he had chosen to honor that request.
On Thursday, Trump emphasized that reaching an agreement would be challenging due to the absence of a unified stance within Iran.
“Iran struggles to comprehend who their leader is! They simply don’t know!” Trump wrote. “There’s infighting between the ‘hard-liners’, who are faring poorly on the battlefield, and the ‘moderates’, who aren’t actually moderates at all (but have gained some respect!). It’s absurd!”
Less than a day after the ceasefire was declared, reports seemed to corroborate Trump’s assertions. The independent outlet “Iran International” mentioned that part of the reason Tuesday’s discussions were postponed, as Trump suggested, was because the Iranian negotiating team failed to prepare sufficiently for the Islamabad meeting.
“Divisions within the Iranian leadership prevented the negotiation team from traveling to Islamabad for talks with the United States,” an anonymous source familiar with the situation relayed, highlighting the rifts within the government, particularly between followers of Pezeshkian and those closer to Mojtaba Khamenei.
Furthermore, “Iran International” reported that just as the delegation was about to leave, an order from Khamenei’s aides ruled out discussions on the nuclear issue and criticized the Foreign Ministry team for previous negotiations, prompting Araghchi to suggest canceling the meeting.
Araghchi made it to Islamabad on Friday, with reports indicating that the White House also dispatched a team to Pakistan’s capital. At this stage, it’s still unclear whether any meetings will take place.
