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The Iranian regime’s president Masoud Pezeshkian is under mounting fire from rival factions, with senior regime media, IRGC-linked outlets, and political figures openly questioning his competence and loyalty after recent foreign policy remarks. The unusually sharp attacks reflect a leadership consumed by internal mistrust as Tehran grapples with simultaneous domestic unrest, regional losses, and international pressure—an environment where even small deviations from the Supreme Leader’s line are treated as threats to the regime’s survival.
The latest disputes erupted after Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent comments on the Zangezur Corridor agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which he said the issue had been “exaggerated.” His remarks drew swift condemnation from hardline outlets and senior figures, revealing how sensitive foreign policy debates have become within the regime.
Kayhan, a newspaper closely aligned with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned on August 10 that “officials of the Islamic Republic are not only forbidden from sending negative signals suggesting that any agreement on the Zangezur Corridor is unimportant, but must, before any such agreement is finalized, clearly convey their message to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, and spare no effort to neutralize this plot.”
Power Struggle Intensifies in #Iran as Rival Factions Slam #Pezeshkian’s Governmenthttps://t.co/j6FF8DT5LL
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 12, 2024
The criticism escalated when Bulletin News, a media platform affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accused Pezeshkian of undermining the country’s stance: “Mr. Pezeshkian; behind the microphone is no place to express weakness before the enemy. Every time he speaks on foreign policy, ten other officials have to step in to undo the damage and try to put the water back in the stream.”
Hesamodin Ashna, a former deputy intelligence minister, also joined the chorus of criticism, cautioning Pezeshkian to “stop speaking haphazardly” and advising that his remarks as the country’s “second-ranking official” should either be more carefully crafted or not broadcast live at all.
Even prior to the recent fiasco, influential parliamentarian Hamid Rasaee had declared on August 4 that Pezeshkian “does not have the political competence” for the presidency, questioning whether he even understands “the consequences of his words.”
Masoud Pezeshkian's PR Stunt in #Iran’s Khuzestan Province Backfires Amid Protestshttps://t.co/ls3MmgUAnL
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 24, 2025
These unusually public rebukes reflect more than personal animosity—they underscore the regime’s deep factional mistrust at a time of acute vulnerability. While the official rhetoric remains focused on external adversaries, the vehemence of the criticism reveals that even minor deviations from the Supreme Leader’s line are treated as threats to national security.
The stakes are heightened by overlapping crises: a fragile, sanction-stricken economy, mounting public discontent, and a series of regional setbacks—including diminished influence in Syria, pressure on allied militias in Iraq and Lebanon, and, most dangerously, an explosive society at home, waiting for the right moment to erupt.
In this climate, statements that might once have been handled quietly are now public triggers for political attacks. The willingness of factions to undermine the president in open media points to a broader erosion of the regime’s internal cohesion—a weakness its leaders can ill afford in the face of simultaneous domestic, regional, and international pressures.