Iran Hardliners Warn of 'Soft Coup' After Khamenei Funeral, CNN Reports
Hardliners at the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shouted threats at President Pezeshkian and pelted Foreign Minister Araghchi with stones, accusing them of orchestrating a soft coup by negotiating a ceasefire with the US, according to CNN. The fragile ceasefire has since collapsed amid renewed strikes.
During the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the US-Israel war against Iran, hardliners expressed hostility toward the country's visible leadership. President Masoud Pezeshkian, walking beside the coffin, heard chants of "Death to the compromiser!" Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration, was forced to leave the funeral after being pelted with stones and called a "traitorous sellout" by the crowd.
According to CNN, this animosity reflects a theory gaining traction among Iran's most radical factions: that wartime leaders who negotiated and signed an agreement with Washington are staging a "soft coup" against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals. Hardliners, who attended the funeral in large numbers, believe that instead of avenging Khamenei's killing, Iranian officials have capitulated by signing a deal that contradicts the orders of the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son and successor. Mojtaba Khamenei has so far remained out of public view and has not demonstrated his authority.
The hardliners accuse the visible leadership—those running the country and representing it while Khamenei stays in the shadows—of conspiring to consolidate power by suspending parliament, ignoring its directives during negotiations, and attempting to disperse nighttime street rallies that serve as a stronghold for hardliners.
The ceasefire memorandum, signed on June 17 after nearly four months of war, was fragile and has since collapsed. The US and Iran are again exchanging missile and drone strikes. Both sides have publicly stated that the memorandum is no longer in effect, and oil prices are rising as President Trump reinstates a naval blockade of Tehran. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump is leaning toward expanding military operations.
