Division in Iran's conservative camp over talks with US

2026-04-29 20:30:58, Kosova & Bota CNA

At the start of the devastating bombing campaign by the United States and Israel, rival political factions in Iran put aside political differences to unite behind the country's decision-makers.

But since the ceasefire with the US came into effect on April 8, deep political differences in the Islamic Republic have come to the surface.

Public disagreements over Tehran's efforts to negotiate an end to the two-month war have pitted Iran's small but vocal ultraconservative faction against more moderate conservatives, a clash that has become more visible in parliament and on the front pages of state-affiliated media.

But analysts warn that this rift is not ideological. The main differences, they say, are not even about whether to reach an agreement with the US, but about when to aim for peace and what concessions should be made.

The dispute crystallized in the days following the first round of talks between delegations led by the head of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and US Vice President JD Vance, in Pakistan on April 11-12.

What had been largely a clash behind closed doors erupted into an open media war when the Tasnim news agency – affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – published an editorial on April 25 mocking the ultraconservatives, comparing their expectations of the talks to the tale of “magic beans.”

The ultraconservatives have said Iran should make no concessions to the United States, including on its nuclear program, a stance unacceptable to Washington. They also insist that any peace deal must include Iran's regional allies and guarantee the lifting of all sanctions on Tehran.

In another article, Tasnim accused Raja News, a website close to ultraconservatives, of fomenting “divisiveness” and serving the interests of US President Donald Trump by criticizing the Iranian negotiating team. Days earlier, Trump had said there was “great conflict and confusion” within Iran’s leadership.

Ali Afshari, a Washington-based Iranian political analyst, warned against giving too much weight to the public clash.

"I don't believe we have evidence yet that this dispute represents a major structural rift," he told Radio Free Europe's Radio Farda.

The US-Israeli bombing campaign, launched on February 28, has eliminated much of Iran's political and military leadership. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, long the supreme leader, was killed and succeeded by his son, Mojtaba. But Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking power.

The ultraconservatives' main target is Qalibafi, Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the U.S. Politicians affiliated with the Pajdari Front, an influential ultraconservative faction linked to former presidential candidate Saeed Jalili, accused the negotiating team of violating red lines set by the new supreme leader.

Mahmoud Nabavian, a lawmaker affiliated with Pajdari who accompanied the delegation to Pakistan, said the talks were "pure harm" and that discussing restrictions on Iran's nuclear program was a "strategic mistake."

Iran's parliament voted on April 27 to adopt a declaration expressing support for the negotiating team. Only seven out of 261 members of parliament, all prominent figures in the Pajhwok movement, refused to sign it.

“Iran is selling its oil at double the price before the war,” Nabavian wrote on X the next day, calling on “cowards” to join the public, which, he suggested, does not support talks. The war has shaken international energy markets and upended the global economy, while hardliners seem to hope that it will eventually force Washington to make concessions.

Afshari said that the divide between ultraconservatives and more moderate conservatives is related to the timing of the peace talks.

The ultraconservatives want to continue the fight and negotiate from a position of strength, he said. In contrast, Qalibaf and other more moderate conservatives want to end the fight now and secure a deal while they still can.

"The disagreement exists at this level, but it doesn't go to the point where someone in the [ultraconservative] bloc is demanding that there be no agreement at all," Afshari argued.

Political differences in Iran have been exacerbated by the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, who is living in hiding and is reportedly seriously injured. He reportedly has minimal contact with Iranian officials.

"The lack of a central, decisive authority due to the absence of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is likely to cause these disputes to escalate into the public domain, rather than remaining confined within regime channels," the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, wrote in a report on April 28./REL