Tensions in Iran escalate: extremist circles call for the ouster of the "American" Pezeshkian | Baruch Yedid
Internal tensions in Iran between the "diplomatic wing" around President Pezeshkian and ultra-extremist right-wing circles are escalating. Extremist elements are promoting a move to strengthen the National Security Council at the expense of parliament, aiming to concentrate power in the hands of Mohsen Rezaei and block initiatives for compromises. Meanwhile, these circles are waging a campaign of humiliation against negotiators, calling them "Iranian-Americans" and demanding they be put on trial.
Internal tensions in Iran between the "diplomatic wing" around President Masoud Pezeshkian and ultra-extremist right-wing circles are escalating. Extremist elements in the country are promoting a move to strengthen the National Security Council at the expense of parliament, aiming to concentrate more power in the hands of Mohsen Rezaei and block parliamentary initiatives for compromises and negotiations. Meanwhile, extremist circles are waging a campaign of humiliation against negotiators. They call them "Iranian-Americans", demand they be put on trial, ousted, and even that the entire government be toppled, with some even disqualifying them on religious grounds. These conservative circles reject conducting negotiations during wartime, claiming it is "contrary to the principles of the revolution and the spirit of Islam". Hardline parliament members submitted a motion of no-confidence against Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The real decision-making hub has moved to the Supreme Defense Council led by Rezaei and Mojtaba Khamenei, turning parliament into a protest arena. Conservative parliament members have drafted extreme bills, including a demand to withdraw from the NPT and a law imposing prison sentences on citizens who give interviews to "hostile" foreign media.