Iran’s hardliners warn of a ‘coup’ as US truce comes under pressure

Hardline Factions Challenge Iran’s Leadership Amid Truce Crisis

Iran s hardliners warn of a coup – During a somber procession in Tehran last week, President Masoud Pezeshkian accompanied the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Yet not all mourners offered tributes to the deceased ruler. Instead, several black-clad attendees directed their anger toward the president, shouting “death to the compromiser” as they passed.

Meanwhile, just a short distance away, Abbas Araghchi faced a different kind of hostility. The nation’s chief diplomat, who had successfully negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and secured the lifting of certain sanctions, was compelled to escape the ceremony. A hostile crowd hurled stones at him while chanting accusations that labeled him a “traitorous sellout.”

The Soft Coup Theory Gains Momentum

The intense animosity shown toward senior officials during the funeral has brought renewed attention to a theory circulating among Iran’s most radical elements. For months, these factions have argued that leaders who negotiated and signed the peace agreement with Washington are orchestrating a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its foundational revolutionary principles.

According to this perspective, the new supreme leader has remained largely absent from public life. Some observers suggest this invisibility stems from fear for his safety, while others propose that Mojtaba Khamenei may be physically incapacitated. As the late leader’s son and designated successor, Mojtaba has neither addressed the nation directly nor visibly demonstrated his authority, even as officials govern in his name.

Hardliners who attended the funeral in significant numbers contend that rather than seeking vengeance for Khamenei’s death, Iranian officials have capitulated by concluding an agreement that contradicts the directives of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Accusations of Power Consolidation

Critics within hardline circles have charged that Iran’s visible leadership is attempting to consolidate authority through multiple means. These allegations include suspending parliament, ignoring Mojtaba’s orders during negotiations, and trying to disperse the nightly street demonstrations that have grown into a crucial power base for fundamentalists.

Mahmoud Nabavian, a vocal radical member of parliament, voiced these concerns publicly. On the social media platform X, he questioned: “Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??” Following this initial warning, Nabavian elaborated further, writing: “In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup.”

With Mojtaba remaining out of sight, three figures have emerged as the most prominent leaders of post-war Iran: chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, President Pezeshkian, and diplomat Araghchi. Arash Azizi, a United States-based scholar and author of “What Iranians Want,” explained the situation to CNN. He noted that without access to the new supreme leader, dissatisfied hardliners have redirected their criticism toward these officials, accusing them of plotting a “coup” against Mojtaba.

Truce Under Threat as Hardliners Push for War

Although calls for wartime unity resonated throughout Iran, the weeklong grand funeral for Khamenei—who was killed in late February during Israeli airstrikes coordinated with American forces—transformed into a platform for hardline supporters. These demonstrators used the occasion to amplify their demands for avenging their leader through renewed conflict with Washington and to reject any settlement with Trump.

That objective now seems to have been achieved. A fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States nearly collapsed this week when the Revolutionary Guards initiated attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. These actions were designed to assert dominance over the critical waterway. Washington responded with retaliatory strikes, while Iranian hardliners simultaneously renewed their demands to abandon the truce entirely.

The conflict has evolved into what some describe as a battle over a tollbooth, with free navigation of international waters now at risk.

Direct Threats Against the President

In the weeks preceding the outbreak of hostilities, hardliners had already begun targeting the architects of the peace deal. During a formal ceremony, Mohammad Ali Bakhshi—a security-connected religious singer known as a “Maddah” and loyal to the regime—delivered a stark warning to Pezeshkian. He declared: “Mr President, if the leader’s conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be us, the blade and your throat.” Bakhshi continued, adding: “We will bring hell upon you.”

While this open threat to assassinate the president drew widespread criticism, Bakhshi has not faced any legal consequences to date.

Other officials have also come under hardline scrutiny, including Ghalibaf. The former Revolutionary Guard commander possesses extensive political experience, which allowed him to assume leadership during the war and emerge as the regime’s de-facto lead operator.