{"id":339629,"date":"2025-11-21T18:42:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=339629"},"modified":"2025-11-21T18:42:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:42:36","slug":"the-fissures-of-consensus-anatomy-of-a-political-crisis-in-tehran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/the-fissures-of-consensus-anatomy-of-a-political-crisis-in-tehran\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fissures of ‘Consensus’: Anatomy of a Political Crisis in Tehran"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
Archive picture- factional infighting in Iran regime’s Majlis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The political atmosphere in Tehran is rarely placid, but the recent tremors within the administration of Masoud Pezeshkian suggest a deeper, more corrosive fault line than the usual factional bickering<\/a>. Just months into his term, the president\u2019s stated goal of “national consensus” (vafaq-e melli<\/i>) is being severely tested, not by external adversaries, but by a sudden, jarring internal revolt. The immediate cause: the controversial appointment of Esmaeil Saqab-Isfahani\u2014a figure with deep ties to the extremist wing and the preceding Raisi administration\u2014as Special Assistant to the President and head of the crucial Energy Optimization Organization.<\/p>\n

The Appointment that Shattered the D\u00e9tente<\/h2>\n

The official announcement of Saqab-Isfahani\u2019s appointment<\/a> on November 12, 2025, was the political equivalent of a spark on dry tinder. The reaction from the Pezeshkian’s own circle was swift and furious. Fayyaz Zahed, a prominent member of Pezeshkian\u2019s Information Council and a vocal campaign supporter, resigned in protest<\/a>. He had “cried” during the presidential campaign in support of Pezeshkian, but now publicly labeled the move a “distortion” of the consensus principle.<\/p>\n

The fallout quickly expanded. Mohammad Mohajeri also resigned<\/a> from the Information Council, later publishing a note requesting Pezeshkian to dissolve the entire presidential public relations structure. Mohajeri argued the existing bodies had “negative efficiency” and that “due to the large number of personnel and lack of planning, they are tripping over each other’s feet,” and suggested the number of personnel should be reduced, as Pezeshkian had proposed.<\/p>\n

The IRGC-affiliated media reacted by attacking those who had resigned. The Revolutionary Guard’s mouthpiece, Javan, described<\/a> the resulting internal conflict as “racial disorder in the reformist tribe,” asserting that the reaction was “beyond political criticism” and devolved into “shameful literature,” including the specific claim that “Saqab is someone who cried over Raisi’s death.”<\/p>\n

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#Raisi<\/a>\u2019s Death Cripples Khamenei\u2019s Decade-Long Project to Maintain Rule over #Iran<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/ibcs5oMwbB<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n