The independent outlet Iran International reported on Sunday, citing anonymous sources, that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian submitted a resignation letter to alleged “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei complaining that the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made his job impossible.

In Iran, the “supreme leader” is the all-powerful dictator of the country, who maintains a delicate balance of power between the IRGC, a formal wing of the Iranian military, and the civilian leaders of the country. The president and the IRGC are both directly subordinate to the “supreme leader.” Under longtime dictator Ali Khamenei, the IRGC often intervened in civilian affairs, including hijacking the diplomacy of the country with the approval of the “supreme leader.”

Following Khamenei’s extermination in an American military operation on February 28, however, the balance of power has remained unclear, as the late Khamenei’s son has made no public appearances, nor is there any public proof that he is actually running the country or capable of doing so. This has resulted in mixed messages from the Iranian regime, particularly incongruous messages from Pezeshkian and his cabinet that appear to contradict the messages of military leaders. Most recently, Tasnim News, believed to have close ties to the IRGC, reported on Monday that Tehran was cutting off negotiations with the United States, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied this in the pages of the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Prior to the conflicting reports about U.S. talks on Monday, Iran International suggested that Pezeshkian, the head of the civilian wing of the regime, could soon depart his office. According to the outlet, a “source familiar” confirmed that Pezeshkian had offered his resignation letter and complained in it about the disproportionate influence of the IRGC in his affairs.

“In the letter sent on Sunday, Pezeshkian stressed that the president and the government have effectively been excluded from major and vital decision-making processes in the country,” the outlet’s source claimed, “and that the vacuum created by this situation has enabled hardline factions within the IRGC to take control of affairs.”

The president reportedly complained that, thanks to the IRGC, “he is unable to run the government and carry out his legal responsibilities, and for that reason has requested to step down immediately.”

IRNA, the state news agency, shared comments on Monday from Pezeshkian that appeared to deny the Iran International report without mentioning it directly. Pezeshkian, according to the website, reportedly used a cabinet meeting on Sunday to reiterate – for no apparent reason, as presented in the report – that he wished to continue being president.

“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed his determination to serve the Iranian nation, underscoring resistance and national solidarity,” IRNA reported. “Pezeshkian also said his life was not more valuable than that of the martyred Leader [Ali Khamenei], and stressed the need to remain present and manage problems honestly in the field, trusting in God’s help.”

“These remarks follow recent rumors reported by certain media outlets about the president’s resignation,” IRNA added ominously, indicating that the comments were made after the publication of the Iran International report.

Pezeshkian also published a comment on his Twitter profile that addressed unspecified “hardships.”

“Confronting major challenges without enduring hardships is impossible. Crossing this rugged and winding path is only possible through public awareness and cooperation,” he wrote. “We must explain the existing realities to the people so that all segments of society participate in solving problems. This shared pain will never be healed separately.”

Pezeshkian became president in 2024 in the last sham election to be run by Ali Khamenei, organized to replace his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a mysterious helicopter crash that year. Pezeshkian was presented as the “moderate” “reformist” candidate who publicly acknowledged that widespread protests in the country were responding to legitimate failures of the government, a way to remove pressure on the regime by making the protesters feel represented by Pezeshkian. Once taking office, however, Pezeshkian did not govern any differently than any other president and regurgitated the radical Islamist and violent viewpoints of the jihadist “supreme leader.”

The tensions between the civilian and military wings of the government have long been present in the Iranian regime. Prior to Pezeshkian, Iran International was at the center of another controversy in 2021 when it published audio of remarks by then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif complaining that the IRGC was hijacking the diplomacy of the country. In the audio, Zarif especially complained about the already deceased head of the IRGC Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, who used his power to forge direct links and control governments in Syria and Iraq, elbowing the Foreign Ministry out of the picture. Soleimani was eliminated in an American airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump on January 3, 2020.

A spokesman for then-President Hassan Rouhani, Ali Rabiei, responded to that report by attacking Iran International, describing it as a “vengeful television network” that was “fervently supporting the sufferings and intimidation of the Iranian nation.”

The presidency of Iran and the IRGC appeared to be on completely different pages once again on Sunday, when the Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran’s negotiators with the United States, seeking a deal to formally end the current military conflict, had stopped answering the Americans.

“The agency said Iran and the Resistance Front, which includes its Shiite allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, have set an agenda to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts,” the Times of Israel reported, relaying the Tasnim report.

Araghchi, the foreign minister, insisted on Sunday that contact with the American negotiation team continued.

“Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says talks and exchange of messages between Iran and the United States are ongoing, and anything being said right now is speculation,” IRNA reported, apparently a negative reference to Tasnim’s reporting.

“Speaking with Iran’s TV on Sunday evening, the top diplomat said that the talks are still ongoing, and until they reach a definite result no judgement can be made about them,” IRNA continued. “Therefore, anything that is being said right now about the US-Iran negotiations is speculation and should not be given importance, he added.”

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