Overview
- Le Figaro reports that former president Hassan Rouhani, working with ex–foreign minister Javad Zarif, sought to displace Ali Khamenei during the January unrest.
- The alleged effort was said to have backing from prominent Qom clerics and figures within the Revolutionary Guard, according to the same reporting.
- Ali Larijani, Khamenei’s top adviser and since August 2025 the National Security Council chief, is credited in these accounts with blocking the plan.
- Rouhani and Zarif were reportedly placed under brief house arrest and some suspected participants were detained, with President Massoud Pezeshkian kept out of the loop.
- The New York Times is cited as saying Khamenei has designated Larijani as interim decision-maker, as universities see renewed protests following a multi‑week internet shutdown; some outlets also allege a lethal crackdown, claims that remain unverified.