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Fresh public criticism of remarks by President Masoud Pezeshkian and the defensive response from his inner circle appear to add to signs of a widening rift between the government and the Revolutionary Guards over the conduct of the war and its economic fallout.
In a post on X, Hamidreza Tabatabaei, deputy for communications and information at the president’s office, pushed back at attacks on Pezeshkian and pointedly asked: “How can second-tier figures pontificate on behalf of the political system, but Dr. Pezeshkian has no right to express an opinion?”
His wording appeared to suggest that even the president is being denied room to speak.
Yousef Pezeshkian, the president’s son and adviser, also responded to criticism of the president’s recent remarks.
“I do not understand the meaning of these criticisms; are we not seeking to meet conditions and obtain guarantees? Or are we seeking war until the complete destruction of America and Israel?” he said.
The backlash from hardline pro-government accounts was sharp.
Morteza Rohani wrote that the president’s media team had burned “two main levers against America,” adding: “Oil got cheaper, and the US market turned green. This scale of sabotage is not the result of ignorance alone. Security institutions should be sensitive.”
While limited in themselves, the exchanges support earlier reporting that tensions have deepened between Pezeshkian’s administration and the Guards over war policy, diplomacy and the economy.
