Freewill

Iran has submitted its latest proposal for negotiations with the United States to mediator Pakistan, Iranian state media reported on Friday.

BREAKING: Iran’s President, Parliament Speaker Seek Foreign Minister’s Removal Over IRGC Allegiance

TEHRAN — A major political crisis is unfolding inside Iran as President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are jointly seeking the removal of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, accusing him of bypassing the presidency to follow directives from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during nuclear talks with the United States, according to a report by Iran International.

Citing two informed sources, the UK-based outlet reported that Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf believe Araghchi has acted less as a cabinet minister and more as an aide to IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi — sidelining the elected leadership over the past two weeks while coordinating sensitive diplomatic moves directly with the military command.

“The Foreign Minister has been operating in full coordination with Vahidi, implementing policies based on his directives without keeping President Pezeshkian informed,” sources told Iran International.

Frustrated by the alleged “parallel decision-making,” Pezeshkian has reportedly told close associates that he will dismiss Araghchi if the situation continues.

The power struggle extends far beyond the foreign ministry. Sources say Pezeshkian has been trapped in a “complete political deadlock,” with the IRGC effectively stripping him of authority to appoint replacements for government officials killed during the war. Vahidi has insisted that, given the wartime situation, all sensitive managerial positions must be directly selected and run by the Revolutionary Guards.

The internal chaos has also crippled Iran’s diplomatic efforts. Ghalibaf stepped down as head of the negotiating team after being reprimanded for attempting to include nuclear energy issues in the talks. Araghchi then took over and traveled alone to Islamabad on April 24 to deliver Tehran’s peace proposal — which was later rejected by the US president.

In a further sign of fragmentation, a group of hardline lawmakers refused on April 27 to sign a parliamentary statement supporting the negotiating team, even as 261 other MPs endorsed it.

No official confirmation has been issued from Iranian authorities. The reports come as the country remains locked in a fragile ceasefire with the US, with nuclear negotiations stalled and mediation efforts by Pakistan and Oman yet to produce a breakthrough.

TEHRAN — Iran declared Thursday it will oversee a “future free of America” in a written statement attributed to the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, vowing to impose a new management system on the strategic Strait of Hormuz as nuclear talks with Washington remain stalled.

The statement, released on Iran’s National Persian Gulf Day, came from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since being appointed supreme leader in March following the death of his father. U.S. officials believe Khamenei is severely injured and has been issuing guidance from a hospital bed.

Khamenei declared that "a new chapter for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is taking shape" and vowed to eliminate what he called "the enemy's abuses of the waterway." The warning was directed primarily at Washington, with Tehran's forces already blockading the strait while the U.S. Navy maintains its own blockade in the adjacent Gulf of Oman.

Iran's supreme leader said the sole place for U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf is "the depths of its waters," and stressed that no agreement on the Strait of Hormuz is possible with Washington.

The statement reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to protecting its "nuclear and missile capabilities" as national assets, drawing a clear red line as President Donald Trump seeks a comprehensive deal to cement a fragile ceasefire between the two nations.

The war with the United States and Israel erupted on February 28. Mediation efforts by Pakistan and Oman have failed to bring delegations back to the negotiating table. Officials close to Khamenei told The New York Times that the 56-year-old leader, though severely wounded, remains mentally sharp and is "managing the country as though he is the director of the board." Khamenei is reportedly delegating significant authority to senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.