Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has asked to resign, Iran International, a channel identified with opposition to the regime in Tehran, reported Sunday evening.
The report, based on a single source and not officially confirmed, said Pezeshkian sent a formal letter to the office of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, asking to step down. The Iranian regime quickly denied the report.
According to the report, Pezeshkian used unusually sharp language in the letter and warned that the state’s management structure had “effectively gone off the official tracks.” The president also claimed, according to the source, that key centers of power in Iran are under the full control of a certain group of Revolutionary Guards commanders.
Iran International reported that it is not yet clear whether Khamenei will approve the resignation, and that the very sending of the letter points to a growing schism at the top of the Iranian regime. According to the report, Pezeshkian wrote that the president and government had effectively been excluded from the country’s key decision-making processes and that, under these circumstances, he could not run the government or fulfill his legal responsibilities.
The report also claimed that the letter came against the backdrop of an ongoing power struggle between the government and Iran’s military and security bodies, led by the Revolutionary Guards. According to the opposition channel, the powers of the presidency have been gradually eroded in recent months, with key decision-making authority effectively transferred to military figures. Sources cited in the report also linked the crisis to the conduct of the war, its impact on Iran’s economy and the severe damage to citizens’ livelihoods.
However, regime-affiliated media outlets quickly denied the report. Tasnim News Agency quoted “an informed government source” who said that “Iran International is a factory for producing lies about Pezeshkian and others.” According to the source, “this anti-Iranian media outlet is a factory for producing lies about Iran, and therefore no one believes its rumors.”
The source quoted by Tasnim claimed the president had not resigned and was continuing his work as usual. Pezeshkian, he said, is “busy working,” and his future plans will take place as scheduled. He added that, in his view, spreading the rumors was intended to achieve two goals: “to create news in order to obtain security information for the Mossad and the CIA,” and “to sow discord and break social cohesion in Iran.”
Pezeshkian’s adviser, Mehdi Tabatabai, also wrote on X: “The gossip of the foreign network is a continuation of previous ridiculous media games. They published their wish instead of reality. President Pezeshkian will not retreat from serving the people, just as the Iranian nation will not turn back from the path of solidarity and resistance.”
The conflicting reports come at a particularly sensitive time for the Iranian regime, amid internal tensions at the top, heavy economic pressure and a struggle between the camp identified with civilian management of the state and the security and military forces. Pezeshkian, who was elected president presenting a relatively moderate line, has repeatedly found himself facing the limits of the Iranian presidency, where the central decisions are in the hands of the supreme leadership, the Revolutionary Guards and the regime’s security councils.
For now, there is no official confirmation of Pezeshkian’s resignation or of the letter cited by Iran International. On the other hand, the very need for regime-affiliated officials to deny the report so forcefully may point to the sensitivity of the issue — and to Tehran’s concern over the appearance of an internal rift in the midst of a governing and security crisis.
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US President Donald Trump issued another threat overnight toward the Islamic Republic
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The report and denial come as negotiations continue between the United States and Iran on an agreement to end the war, which so far has not borne fruit despite numerous reports in recent days that such a deal is nearing.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday evening, “The talks and exchange of messages are continuing. Everything being said now is speculation and should not be given importance.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump issued another threat overnight toward the Islamic Republic. In an interview with Fox News, he said he prefers to reach an agreement with Iran but is also prepared to resume military action if the talks fail.
“We are close to a very good deal,” Trump said in an interview aired on the program hosted by Lara Trump, the wife of his son Eric. He added that if the United States “doesn’t get what it wants,” it will “finish it another way.” According to him, “It will happen, slowly but surely.”