Tensions within Iran’s government have surfaced over the conduct of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly calling for his removal, according to Iran International Thursday.

The discord centers on Araghchi’s approach to diplomatic negotiations and his relationship with military leadership. Two informed sources told Iran International that both Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf believe Araghchi has exceeded his authority and operates more as a subordinate to Ahmad Vahidi, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, than as an independent minister implementing government policy.

According to the sources, Araghchi has conducted diplomatic initiatives without informing or seeking approval from Pezeshkian, instead coordinating directly with Vahidi and his directives. The situation has prompted Pezeshkian to privately indicate that continued insubordination would result in Araghchi’s dismissal.

The reported friction marks the latest division within Iran’s leadership hierarchy. A month prior, tensions between Pezeshkian and Vahidi had already become public, suggesting deeper institutional conflicts between civilian and military power centers.

The internal disputes extended into Iran’s negotiations with the United States, according to sources familiar with the talks. Those sources described a weekend collapse in negotiations as rooted in disagreements within Iran’s own delegation rather than an impasse with American negotiators.

During negotiations, Araghchi displayed what sources characterized as significant flexibility on reducing or halting financial and military support to Iranian-aligned groups collectively known as the “Axis of Resistance,” including the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah.

The flexibility drew sharp opposition from Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former IRGC commander. The internal pushback effectively ended the negotiating session.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance subsequently told Fox News that the American delegation had concluded the Iranian negotiating team lacked authority to finalize any agreement without returning to Tehran for approval from the supreme leader or other senior leadership.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)