Factional Rivalries Within the Iranian Regime Emerge Publicly During Khamenei’s Funeral
Demonstrators chanted slogans including “Death to the traitor” at Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Massoud Pezeshkian, while reports also indicated that both officials were subjected to verbal abuse. At the same time, mediators involved in the US-Iran negotiations suggested that the events in the Strait of Hormuz were orchestrated by elements within the Iranian regime opposed to the memorandum of understanding.
The funeral ceremony of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, which the authorities had sought to portray as a display of national unity, instead revealed growing signs of intensifying rivalry among competing factions within the ruling establishment. President Massoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were met with hostile chants from hardline supporters opposed to any rapprochement with the United States, while diplomatic sources spoke of regional efforts to contain tensions between Washington and Tehran amid concerns that internal actors were attempting to derail the negotiation process.
Videos circulated by several Iranian opposition media outlets and a number of foreign newspapers showed crowds chanting “Death to the compromiser” at the Iranian president, while the foreign minister was targeted with slogans such as “Death to the traitor” and “Dishonorable,” an unusual scene during an official ceremony of this magnitude.
Although the footage circulated widely, neither Reuters nor the Associated Press, both of which covered the funeral from inside Iran, reported the occurrence of these chants or any verbal attacks directed at the officials. Instead, their coverage focused on the large crowds, anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, and calls for retaliation.
Meanwhile, the opposition media outlet Iran International reported that Pezeshkian and Araghchi were subjected to verbal attacks by hardline activists because of their support for resuming the diplomatic track with Washington. According to the outlet, the incident reflects widening divisions within Iran’s ruling establishment following the death of Ali Khamenei.
