Iran Hard-Liners Show Rare Split Over US Ceasefire Talks, Iran International Reports

Infighting within Iran's ruling establishment over ceasefire negotiations with the US is intensifying, with the hard-line camp showing an unprecedented split after long maintaining a united front, dissident outlet Iran International reported on April 29.

The rift surfaced earlier this week when ultra-hard-line lawmakers refused to sign a statement backing the ceasefire negotiating team. The dispute then escalated into a rare public clash between Raja News, a conservative outlet, and Tasnim News, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.

At the center of the conflict is a power struggle between ultra-hard-liners aligned with former top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and supporters of Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who recently led the Islamabad talks.

Twenty-seven lawmakers, including seven from Jalili's camp, refused to sign a joint statement supporting the ceasefire delegation that traveled to Islamabad, Pakistan, and Ghalibaf's leadership of the team.

Mahmoud Nabavian, a lawmaker who was part of the delegation, alleged that the team crossed so-called red lines set by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He also said the delegation violated those limits by making contact with the US on the nuclear issue.

Jalili then joined the attack directly. In a social media post, he demanded that Mojtaba clarify whether the current negotiations were being conducted on his instructions. Otherwise, he wrote, the talks amounted to agitation by officials and all related statements had been written by coup plotters, a direct swipe at Ghalibaf.

Tensions between the two sides spilled into a war of words between state-aligned media outlets. Raja News, which reflects Jalili's position, and IRGC-linked Tasnim accused each other of undermining national unity.

In an editorial, Tasnim said ultra-hard-line demands including the lifting of all sanctions and a comprehensive ceasefire covering Iran's regional allied forces were unrealistic, while defending a more pragmatic negotiating line. Raja News responded furiously.

Tasnim later deleted the article, but the acrimonious exchange did not stop.

Ko Jung-sam, Hankyung.com reporter jsk@hankyung.com