Has Iran’s president resigned? Here’s the truth after a report claims Pezeshkian’s government is ending in a dispute with the IRGC | Today’s news
As the United States and Iran circle peace talks to end the West Asian conflict with America warning it is “more than capable” of resuming the war, a report claimed President Masoud Pezeshkian has resigned amid a dispute with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over its decision-making dominance.
Iranian authorities have now dismissed the report, saying Masoud Pezeshkian “has not resigned” and continues to fulfill his duties, Tasnim news agency reported, citing a government source.
Iranian representative Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei also dismissed the report and clarified that Pezeshkian would not resign.
Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei said: “Spreading rumors by a dubious foreign network is a continuation of the previous ridiculous media games. They published their own wishful thinking instead of reality.”
He added: “President Pezeshkian will not retreat from serving the people, just as the Iranian nation will not retreat from the path of solidarity and resistance.”
What the report said
In the report, Iran International quoted an official as saying that Pezeshkian had resigned and sent an official letter to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s office.
The Iranian president said in his letter that he and the government were effectively sidelined from key decision-making processes in the Islamic Republic, and claimed that the shooting was largely instigated by the IRGC.
Noting that under such circumstances he was unable to run the government and continue his legal duties, the Iranian president asked the supreme leader to relinquish his duties.
In early May, a news portal reported widening rifts in Iran’s leadership when it suggested that Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were seeking to oust Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, accusing him of following the instructions of Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi during nuclear talks in Pakistan without informing the Iranian president.
Citing sources, the report said Pezeshkian and Ghalibag accused Araghchi of acting less like a member of the government and more like an aide to the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.
Araghchi was also accused of bypassing the president and implementing policies based on Vahidi’s instructions. Pezeshkian also told those close to him that he would fire Iran’s foreign minister if he continued, the report said. That hasn’t happened yet.
However, there were reports of friction between Pezeshkian and Vahidi over how the war was conducted.
According to some reports, the Iranian president was stripped of the power to appoint replacements for officials who were killed during the war, while Vahidi insisted on filling the posts and came under the control of the Revolutionary Guards.
