Iran’s hardliners are warning of a coup as the US truce comes under pressure. The warnings come after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other top officials were threatened and accused of plotting against the Islamic Republic.

Background

The hostility directed at top officials during the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reflects a theory that has been gaining traction within the Islamic Republic’s most radical factions. They believe that Iran’s wartime leaders who negotiated and signed the agreement with Washington are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals.

The hardline factions that attended the funeral in large numbers believe that instead of avenging Khamenei’s killing, Iranian officials have surrendered by signing an agreement that defies the orders of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor.

Threats and Accusations

Iranian officials are being threatened and accused of plotting against the Islamic Republic. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a traitorous sellout.

Mohammad Ali Bakhshi, a security-linked religious singer, warned Pezeshkian during a ceremony, saying, ‘Mr President, if the leader’s conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be us, the blade and your throat.’ Bakhshi is not known to have faced any legal repercussions for his threat.

Other officials under hardline scrutiny include Iran’s chief negotiator with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guard commander with deep political experience.

Consequences

The fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US all but collapsed this week after the Revolutionary Guards launched attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to assert control over the waterway. This prompted retaliatory strikes by Washington and fresh demands by Iranian hardliners to scrap the truce.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.