Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Friday, citing Iran International, that President Masoud Pezeshkian and Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf want Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi removed for coordinating with Revolutionary Guard commander Ahmad Vahidi without informing the president, a claim not confirmed by Tehran.
- Sources linked the rift to recent U.S. talks in Islamabad, saying a negotiating session collapsed after Araghchi showed openness to cutting support for Iran‑aligned groups such as Hezbollah, which drew a sharp rebuke from senior security figure Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr.
- U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said the American team concluded Iran’s negotiators lacked the authority to finalize any deal and would need approvals from higher leaders in Tehran.
- After President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest proposal, Araghchi said Iran is open to diplomacy if Washington drops what he called threatening rhetoric, with Pakistani officials described as mediating indirect contacts.
- Background reports describe a wider tug‑of‑war in Tehran, including assertions that the Revolutionary Guard is steering key appointments during the war and signs of parliamentary splits that saw Ghalibaf step back from leading the negotiating team.