Iran International, a London-based, Saudi-funded outlet, reported that the unity campaign in Iran began with a secret letter to the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. From the letter, it seems there aren’t factions between the IRGC and senior officials, but rather that the Ayatollah won’t let them negotiate the nuclear issue that the United States demands. President Trump called off the peace talks today, and if this secret letter is accurate, the religious ideologues won’t allow them to go further.
The unity campaign began with a secret letter to Mojtaba Khamenei.
Rumors in Iranian political circles suggest that senior officials have written a highly confidential letter to Mojtaba Khamenei.
From what they can glean, the letter warns that Iran’s economic situation is grave, and the country cannot continue as is. They report the leadership has no choice but to negotiate seriously with the United States over the nuclear file.
The author for Iran International writes:
That is why the current letter matters: it suggests that some senior figures now see the nuclear standoff as another moment when ideological insistence is colliding with the limits of the state.
The reported signatories included senior figures such as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Masoud Pezeshkian, Abbas Araghchi, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi. Some officials apparently refused to sign it. One name now circulating is Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s former chief nuclear negotiator under Ebrahim Raisi.
It was supposed to remain secret, but it was leaked by someone who did not sign.
As we heard from President Trump, Iran’s leadership is fighting internally, although they deny it. The leadership says he is wrong about internal fighting. There aren’t hardliners and the moderates; they are all united.
Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament, wrote: “In Iran, there are no hardliners or moderates. We are all Iranian and revolutionary.” He added that with the “iron unity of the nation and the state” and full obedience to the Supreme Leader, Iran would make the “criminal aggressor” regret its actions.
President Pezeshkian posted almost the same message: “In Iran, there are no ‘hardliners’ or ‘moderates.’ We are all Iranians and revolutionaries.” He, too, invoked unity between nation and state, obedience to the leader, and victory for Iran.
Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, went further. He said the “foolish president of America” should know that “hardliner” and “moderate” are absurd and baseless terms from Western political literature. In Islamic Iran, he said, all groups and factions ultimately stand united under the orders of the Supreme Leader.
The Ayatollah probably drew a red line: do not discuss the nuclear issue with the United States. However, they face an existential economic crisis. They have little time before the wells have to be capped. Reopening them is not easy or cheap and sometimes impossible.
They are trying to find out if the mullahs, specifically Mojtaba, will agree to negotiate the nukes or face a catastrophe.
Someone has to get Mojtaba to agree, but if Mojtaba is indeed in charge rather than the elected leadership and the IRGC, Mojtaba might not relent under any circumstances. The letter suggests it’s all up to Mojtaba. The ideologues might prefer annihilation.