{"id":348093,"date":"2026-09-16T19:21:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T18:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=348093"},"modified":"2026-09-16T19:21:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T18:21:44","slug":"from-oman-to-state-tv-rival-factions-in-iran-defy-mojtaba-khameneis-call-for-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iranian-regime-infighting\/from-oman-to-state-tv-rival-factions-in-iran-defy-mojtaba-khameneis-call-for-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"From Oman to State TV: Rival Factions in Iran Defy Mojtaba Khamenei’s Call for Unity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif clashes with hardline MP Hamid Rasaee during a heated debate in Iran\u2019s parliament\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

At a time when Mojtaba Khamenei and the upper echelons of Iran’s ruling establishment are urging regime insiders to avoid public feuding<\/a>, rival factions are doing precisely the opposite. In recent weeks, competing camps have intensified attacks on one another over negotiations, economic policy, the Strait of Hormuz, state media and even the conduct of senior officials, exposing widening cracks within the clerical dictatorship.<\/p>\n

The internal warfare is particularly striking because it directly contradicts repeated calls from the leadership for officials and media outlets not to portray the state as weak, not to give encouragement to the regime’s enemies, and not to deepen divisions over the question of war versus negotiation. Yet statements carried by state media show rival camps accusing one another of surrender, damaging national interests, misleading the public and undermining the country’s strategic position.<\/p>\n

Extremists Turn Their Fire on the Government<\/h2>\n

One of the clearest examples emerged in criticism of former economy minister Abdolnasser Hemmati. Rahim Zare, a member of parliament\u2019s Budget Committee, publicly rebuked Hemmati<\/a> on September 15, 2026, saying: \u201cI ask Mr. Hemmati to give fewer interviews.\u201d He argued that such remarks were interpreted as weakness toward Iran\u2019s enemies and contributed to currency instability.<\/p>\n

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When Mojtaba Khamenei forbids the "#IranWar\u200c<\/a> or negotiation\u201d binary, both camps defy him within days. The new Leader\u2019s word is no longer final. The pillar that once capped factional war is fracturing.
Analysis by @MehdiOghbai<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/l4x1BQDA5V<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n