An Israeli source claims that Iran’s Supreme Leader is “not in Iran”
An Israeli security source reported by the Saudi Al-Hadath TV channel said on Sunday that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei “is not in Iran.” This was followed by reports of a major internal power struggle in Tehran.Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader shortly after his father was killed in US-Israeli raids on February 28, has not made any public appearances and has communicated exclusively through written statements since taking office. He was even absent from his father’s funeral. Sources quoted by Reuters said that he is still recovering from serious injuries.The Israeli source told Al-Hadath that Khamenei’s official letters were written by the newly appointed commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ahmed Vahidi, along with other high-ranking members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.The source was quoted as saying, “The internal divisions in Iran are deep and threaten the existence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Accusations of a “soft coup.”
Amid the ongoing military escalation between the United States and Iran, reports indicate that a major internal power struggle has broken out in Tehran, separating hard-line factions from the country’s more moderate public administration. According to a CNN report, extremist elements accused the ruling leadership of carrying out a “soft coup” after concluding a 14-point diplomatic agreement with the United States.
This political volatility turned into popular hostility during the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was forced to flee the convoy with his team after being targeted with stones by an angry crowd.Crowds of mourners occupied the site, chanting “Death to the compromiser” and describing officials as “traitors” to express their rejection of the diplomatic agreement.
The extremists accuse the leadership
Hard-line factions believe that the government effectively surrendered by signing an agreement that violates the Supreme Leader’s explicit mandates, rather than launching strikes to avenge the killing of the late leader. “Warning to the Iranian people: Is there a coup on the way?” Hardline MP Mahmoud Nabafian was interrogated X days before the funeral.He published after the ceremony: “In these moments of farewell to the martyr Imam, we raise the banner of avenging his blood and stand steadfast in the face of the coup.”
Qalibaf Pezeshkian, Aragchi Administrator
With Mojtaba Khamenei absent for an extended period, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araqchi have become the most prominent figures leading post-war Iran, leaving hardliners increasingly isolated and discontented.“Mojtaba’s continued absence means they cannot reach him, and Ghalibaf and his allies are effectively in charge of the country — and thus hardliners have accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of planning a coup against Mojtaba,” Arash Azizi, a US-based Iranian researcher, told CNN.Meanwhile, hardliners accuse the visible leadership of systematically undermining traditional state bodies to maintain their control.The Israeli source also said that the United States does not want Israel to participate in strikes on Iran, even if Tehran attacks Israel.
