Iran factions split over US peace memorandum as hardliners push back

Iran's political factions are publicly clashing over a memorandum of understanding with the United States, with the dispute centring on how far Tehran should go in any deal with Washington. The row has sharpened after a written statement attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had held a different view on the agreement but allowed it to proceed after President Masoud Pezeshkian accepted responsibility. The agreement was signed by Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump through mediation by Pakistan, Qatar and others.

Sponsored

The statement attributed to Khamenei said he granted permission after Pezeshkian's "explicit acceptance of responsibility" as head of the Supreme National Security Council. It also said Pezeshkian had made clear that Iran would not submit to "excessive demands" from the American side. According to the same statement, upcoming in-person negotiations would not amount to acceptance of the other side's position.

Iranian state-linked media have also said Khamenei conditioned approval on at least three-quarters of security council members, including military commanders, backing the deal, although the voting details remain unconfirmed. The dispute has given fresh momentum to Iran's hardline political grouping, which opposes concessions to Washington and argues that war with the United States could restart soon. The Supreme National Security Council has sought to reassure Khamenei, saying it will safeguard "the rights of the Iranian nation and the resistance front" while honouring the memory of Iranian leaders killed during the conflict.

The public disagreement suggests the deal is being tested not only in talks with the United States, but also inside Iran's own power structure. The row matters because it comes at a sensitive moment for regional diplomacy and security. The memorandum is being presented as part of an interim peace arrangement involving several mediators, and its fate may influence whether the current ceasefire environment holds.

Sponsored

It also highlights the tension between Iran's elected leadership and its security establishment, a recurring feature of decision-making in Tehran when foreign policy carries military risk. The political backdrop is also shaped by the recent succession of Mojtaba Khamenei to the supreme leadership in March, after the death of Ali Khamenei. He has not been seen or heard from publicly since taking the post, but the statement attributed to him has now made his position on the US deal clear.

That has left Pezeshkian, described in the row as a relative moderate, exposed to criticism from opponents who see the agreement as too accommodating. Israel is also part of the wider picture, with all political factions there said to oppose the agreement and to favour military pressure on Iran and its allied network, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. What remains unclear is the exact scope of the memorandum, the full voting record inside Iran's security institutions, and how much room there is for the planned in-person negotiations.

The next stage will be whether the talks proceed without further internal resistance, or whether the hardline backlash narrows Tehran's room for manoeuvre.

#Iran #UnitedStates #MojtabaKhamenei #MasoudPezeshkian #peacedeal

Sponsored