Dispute within the Iranian leadership regarding the MoU becomes public

A public dispute erupted within Iran's Assembly of Experts—the body responsible for appointing and overseeing the Supreme Leader—after most of its members issued a statement regarding the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States. This led to an unusually public rebuke by the Assembly’s leadership within just a few hours. This is according to a report by the opposition-affiliated news outlet Iran International.

The drama began when more than 60 out of 84 members of the council published a joint and combative statement, departing from the usual protocol of the generally conservative and reserved institution. In the statement, the members expressed strong opposition to concessions in the negotiations, and even called for the continuation of the armed struggle against the West and Israel.

The majority statement in the council went beyond just political criticism, adopting an extreme and sharply religious tone. The signatories declared that preserving the "red lines" set by the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is a "religious duty" that must not be violated under any circumstances.

Council members also called for punishing those responsible for the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, specifically naming US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to them, anyone who has access to these individuals has a "religious duty" to eliminate them. Additionally, the signatories described the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz while the campaign in Lebanon continues as a "strategic mistake," and demanded that Iran's nuclear rights be removed from any negotiating table.

In an unusual move, the assembly's Secretariat Presidency published a public clarification that included a reprimand of the members who signed the letter. While the secretariat reaffirmed its loyalty to Mojtaba Khamenei, it criticized the circumvention of procedures and the publication of a statement that does not represent the council's official and unified position. “Official positions should be issued through authorized institutions,” the statement read. “The signatories should have sought broader discussion in order to preserve unity.”

Amid rising tensions, it was reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian made an urgent visit to the city of Qom, the center of the country’s religious authority. Analysts estimate that Pezeshkian is trying to garner the support of senior clerics in order to calm the situation and secure political backing for the diplomatic arrangements he is seeking to promote in the aftermath of the war.