Western newspapers, citing Iranian sources, report that Iran’s ruling establishment is increasingly fractured, with disputes among rival power centers that could escalate into an open power struggle.
According to The New York Times, the absence of the former Supreme Leader has split Iran’s conservative camp into two factions. One, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Supreme National Security Council secretary general Mohamed Baqer Thul Qadr, supports a “major deal” with Washington, including a ceasefire and lifting the naval blockade to rescue the economy.
The opposing hardline faction rejects any political or nuclear concessions to the US, demands continued military confrontation, and accuses negotiators of “collusion and treason.”
The newspaper, citing four senior Iranian sources, said the Supreme Leader approved negotiations only after mounting internal pressure. Pezeshkian reportedly warned that the US naval blockade was “paralysing the country” and threatened to resign if talks were rejected, while Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati warned of looming shortages of essential goods.
According to the report, the Supreme National Security Council voted 12-1 to approve direct negotiations with US officials, including Vice President JD Vance. The decision reportedly coincided with growing tensions in state media, including the abrupt interruption of a live speech by Ghalibaf and criticism of the negotiating team.
Britain’s The Telegraph, in an opinion article by Kusra Aarabi and Saeed Gholkar, said the regime is witnessing an intensifying struggle among rival elites driven by power and influence rather than ideology. The authors argued that the absence of Ali Khamenei as the system’s ultimate arbiter has exposed long-suppressed rivalries.
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