Kalibaf Became a Puppet: The Radical Current in the Revolutionary Guards Carried Out a Coup in the Government
A power struggle at the top of Iran: elements from the extremist camp are working to reduce the powers of parliament speaker Kalibaf and transfer power to the Revolutionary Guards. According to a report on the 'Aram News' website, citing American and Iranian opposition sources, meetings took place in Tehran and Qom between radical parliamentary and religious figures. The discussions dealt with Kalibaf's status, his powers in negotiations and relations with China, and the role of parliament after the war. The struggle reflects competition over the direction of the regime in the post-war era.
The power struggle at the top of Iran is intensifying: elements from the extremist camp are working to reduce the powers of parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Kalibaf and transfer more power to the Revolutionary Guards and ideological factors in the regime. According to information that reached the 'Aram News' website from American sources and Iranian opposition figures, the pressures recorded in recent days within parliament and among religious circles close to the regime are not isolated but part of a broader conflict in the extremist camp over control of centers of influence. More hawkish elements oppose the expansion of powers given to certain figures and institutions alongside the Revolutionary Guards and the decision-making circle close to the Supreme Leader, and push for a governmental structure that would further strengthen the hardline ideological camp. An Iranian political source from the opposition said that in recent days meetings and conversations took place in Tehran and Qom between parliamentary and religious figures identified with the more radical currents. The discussions focused, among other things, on Kalibaf's status, the expansion of his powers in the areas of negotiation and relations with China, and the question of parliament's role after the end of the military confrontation. In recent years, Faidari has been known for its firm positions against negotiations with the West and its support for stricter legislation on social and religious issues. The involvement of parliament members identified with it gives the struggle broader meaning: it is not just personal opposition to Kalibaf, but a competition over the direction the regime will take and over the identity of the factors that will determine policy in the post-war era.