Iran factions split over US deal before planned Switzerland signing
Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s leadership remains divided as Tehran and Washington prepare to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
4 min read
Iran’s agreement with the United States has exposed divisions inside Tehran’s power structure before a planned signing in Switzerland on Friday. Al Jazeera reported that the memorandum of understanding, announced on Sunday, faces resistance from hardliners even as key government and security figures appear prepared to proceed.
The dispute centers on how far Iran should go in any settlement with Washington after war with the US and Israel. According to Al Jazeera, rival factions are focused on whether the deal protects Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, its control over the Strait of Hormuz and its regional allies.
Supreme leader stays guarded
Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader after the elder Khamenei was killed in a February 28 air strike, has not taken a public position on the deal, Al Jazeera reported. He has appeared only through written statements attributed to him and has not been seen or heard publicly.
Those statements have stressed Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and described the country’s nuclear and missile programmes as national assets that must not be given up, according to Al Jazeera. The ultraconservative Keyhan newspaper said in a Tuesday editorial that Khamenei’s lack of direct reference to the nuclear programme may mean Tehran considers that issue closed.
Keyhan warned that Iran was at a sensitive moment and said no one should cross the supreme leader’s red lines, Al Jazeera reported.
Security officials back leverage and caution
Al Jazeera reported that many senior figures in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and intelligence agencies were killed during the war, but remaining commanders are thought to be central to the talks. IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi and leaders connected to Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters have said Iran is ready to restart military action if needed, while avoiding public comment on the agreement’s terms.
Security officials have also said Tehran will not abandon regional allies, especially Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera. Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, appeared on state television Monday and said the Bab al-Mandeb Strait was in the hands of Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansarallah and other allied fighters.
Qaani also supported Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and other negotiators who have been criticized by hardliners, Al Jazeera reported. Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker and former senior IRGC commander, has been described as a pragmatic conservative who supports a deal.
Hardliners resist concessions
Hardline factions oppose signing an agreement with US President Donald Trump, whom they blame for approving the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and, earlier, Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, according to Al Jazeera.
Those groups argue that Iran should avoid major nuclear concessions, keep control of the Strait of Hormuz, later charge transit and environmental fees there, and eventually force US troops out of the region, Al Jazeera reported. The camp includes many hardline members of parliament and figures linked to the Paydari Front led by Saeed Jalili.
Jalili, a longtime Khamenei representative on the Supreme National Security Council, is believed to be one of the leading opponents of the deal, according to Al Jazeera. Reports that he had been sidelined from his post circulated before the agreement was announced, but authorities did not confirm them.
Government and reformists support talks
President Masoud Pezeshkian, described by Al Jazeera as a relative centrist, supports the agreement and remains head of the Supreme National Security Council by law. He said last week that Iran needs to end its damaging state of “no war, no peace” with the US.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has backed a negotiated settlement that protects Iranian interests, especially through sanctions relief, Al Jazeera reported. Reformist and moderate figures including former presidents Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Khatami and former foreign minister Javad Zarif have also supported negotiations.
Khatami said after the memorandum was announced that supporters and critics of the system should back the talks and the negotiators in pursuit of an agreement, lasting peace and life without fear of war, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.