Iran International
Iran’s ultra-hardliners have escalated their campaign against the US-Iran memorandum, accusing Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian of forcing through a deal they say amounts to a “coup” against the position of the slain Supreme Leader.
The accusations come from the most hardline wing of Iran’s conservative camp, including the Paydari Party and supporters of Saeed Jalili, and mark the latest escalation in a long-running power struggle inside the establishment.
The US-Iran memorandum has deepened that rift, exposing a widening divide between pragmatic conservatives aligned with Ghalibaf and factions that reject any compromise with Washington.
With more conservatives moving closer to Pezeshkian’s administration, Jalili’s camp appears increasingly worried that it is being pushed to the margins.
Old rivalries flaring up
The latest controversy began Tuesday when hardline lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian posted a blunt warning on X: “People of Iran, is a coup underway?”
Nabavian argued the Supreme Leader’s 10 conditions for negotiations had been ignored and that the memorandum with the United States had been forced through despite his objections.
A day earlier, he wrote that what officials described as the country’s interest, despite the Leader’s opposition, was “not expediency but the very essence of corruption.”
The remarks triggered a fierce conservative backlash.
Mojtaba Zarei, a Tehran lawmaker considered close to Ghalibaf, dismissed the accusation as the fantasy of the super-revolutionary camp and an election slogan aimed at rivals.
Citing reports that around 60 Paydari-affiliated lawmakers planned to stage a sit-in outside parliament, Zarei said parliament’s leadership, the Supreme National Security Council and other lawmakers had thwarted what he called an election-driven attempt by a “super-revolutionary” party to seize parliament in the style of Eastern Europe’s color revolutions.
Parliament dispute fuels tensions
Paydari lawmakers have denounced the suspension of parliamentary sessions for more than 120 days since the war began, saying the closure has stripped parliament of its oversight role at a critical moment.
Unverified social media reports suggested that security agencies pressured some legislators to drop plans for a sit-in, while separate reports claimed hardline lawmaker Hamid Rasaei was briefly detained for several hours.
Still, around a dozen lawmakers gathered outside parliament on Tuesday in protest, according to social media reports.
Rouydad24 reported that one of the group’s main aims in forcing parliament back into session is to pass legislation asserting full Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, a step that could create new obstacles for implementing the US-Iran memorandum.
'Coup' accusations dominate social media
The coup narrative has spread quickly among ultra-hardline activists on social media, where Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian are being portrayed as defying the Supreme Leader’s wishes.
One user said Ghalibaf had known the Supreme Leader’s position but “not only voted against it himself, but persuaded other commanders to do the same.”
Another described a coordinated coup project aimed at weakening revolutionary forces, promoting “begging diplomacy,” ignoring the killing of Shiites in Lebanon and turning Iran into a passive country.
The post concluded that confronting this “silent coup” required exposing those behind it, resisting surrender and returning to the path of resistance.
Security concerns ahead of Khamenei funeral
Some social media posts by supporters of the ultra-hardline faction have raised concerns that they may use the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, scheduled for July 9, to protest against the memorandum.
One ultra-hardliner activist claimed on X that "the coup is advancing; they are only waiting to assassinate the Leader," before adding: "I see no solution other than removing this government and Ghalibaf. Going to Tehran [for the funeral] is the best opportunity."
The rhetoric echoes a confrontation during this year’s Muharram ceremonies, when security forces dismantled a mourning site near the place where Ali Khamenei was killed.
The site had been occupied for three days by mostly female ultra-hardliners wearing white burial shrouds to signal readiness for death or revenge. The protesters chanted harsh slogans against officials who backed negotiations.
One participant later posted a video accusing “coup agents” of assaulting protesters and seizing their sound equipment.
The footage showed shroud-clad women chanting “Allahu Akbar” as security personnel moved to disperse them.
