Disputes escalate within the Iranian system after the ceasefire agreement with the United States, as anger shifts from the US-Iran war to an internal conflict between a hardline Iranian faction that rejects any settlement with Washington and leaders seeking to manage the new phase, according to a CNN report.

According to the report, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian walked beside the coffin of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his funeral in Tehran last week, some mourners dressed in black around him were chanting directly at him: 'Death to the compromiser.'

The report also indicated that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was forced to flee the funeral after a group of attendees threw stones at him, amid chants accusing him of being a 'traitor and seller of principles.'

According to the report, the hostility faced by senior officials during the funeral reflects a theory that has gained momentum among the most hardline currents in Iran in recent months, namely that Iran's leaders during the war, who negotiated with Washington and signed the agreement, are carrying out a 'soft coup' against the system, while the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remained out of sight, either for fear of his life or, as some suggested, due to his inability to perform his duties.

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Hardliners accuse new leadership of abandoning Khamenei's legacy

The report stated that the hardline current, which participated in large numbers in the funeral, believes that Iranian officials, instead of avenging Khamenei's death, surrendered by signing an agreement that violates Mojtaba Khamenei's orders.

But Khamenei's son remained away from public appearances; he did not address a direct speech to the people, nor did he appear clearly to assert his authority, even though officials conduct negotiations or manage state affairs in his name.

The hardliners accused the apparent Iranian leadership, i.e., the officials who run the country and represent it in Khamenei's absence, of planning to strengthen their influence by suspending parliament, ignoring his directives during negotiations, and attempting to dismantle the nightly street protests that have become a strong power base for hardline currents.

Days before Khamenei's funeral, Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian, known for his hardline stances, wrote on platform X: 'Warning to the Iranian people: Is there a coup on the way?'

Days later, he wrote: 'In these moments when we bid farewell to (Khamenei), we raise the banner of revenge for his blood, and we stand firmly against the coup.'

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Mojtaba's absence opens door to internal system conflict

In the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Pezeshkian, and Araghchi have become the most prominent figures managing Iran in the post-war phase.

On Tuesday, Mahmoud Nabavian, the hardline lawmaker who strongly opposes the agreement with the United States and was one of the most prominent voices warning of a 'coup,' was removed from his position on the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of parliament, along with another deputy who criticized the agreement.

Nabavian was a member of the Iranian negotiating delegation before he turned against the talks, and also tried to obstruct the agreement by leaking its text to the media before it was signed last month.

Nabavian claimed that the Iranian negotiating team ignored the 'red lines' set by the Supreme Leader during negotiations with the United States. CNN was unable to obtain a comment from him.

Nabavian and other hardline figures belong to the 'Jebheh-e Paydari' (Resistance Front) current, whose members observers often describe as 'ultra-revolutionaries.' They see themselves as guardians of the values of the 1979 revolution that overthrew the pro-Western monarchy and established an Islamic system in Iran.

Experts say, according to CNN, that the current Iranian leadership is actively seeking to marginalize this current.

Hamid Reza Azizi, a visiting researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told the network: 'We see that Qalibaf is exerting influence to remove these hardline elements, as they have become very costly for the system, and they also bring their disputes into the open, especially with the increasing instability in Iran.'

Although their numbers are limited, they occupy influential positions across the country, including within parliament and the official Iranian state broadcasting authority, which has launched campaigns against President Pezeshkian. The extent of support this current enjoys remains unclear.

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