America and the Soft Coup in Iran

It seems that the Americans have been attempting to engineer an internal coup in Iran that would sideline Mojtaba Khomeini and bring to heel those, especially within the IRGC, who are opposed to any capitulation to America and seek Iran’s independence. The major players for America in this coup in the political realm are Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Parliamentary Speaker, as well as lead negotiator in talks with the U.S., Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. We also consider Ahmed Wahidi head of the IRGC as part of the American coup, who has been absent in public and is required to manage the seismic anti-American position in the IRGC and along with the political aparatus bring it under American capitulation and subservience.

This was confirmed by the American broadcaster CNN, which stated:

“The hostility directed at top officials during the funeral reflects a theory that has been gaining traction within the Islamic Republic’s most radical factions for months: that Iran’s wartime leaders who negotiated and signed the agreement with Washington are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals while the new supreme leader remains largely invisible for fear of his life – or, as some have suggested, because he is incapacitated.” (18/07/26)

These leaders have been attacked by those who consider them to be capitulators to America with CNN reporting that these figures were attacked during the funeral procession of former spiritual leader Ali Khameini killed by the US. CNN reports;

“some of the black-clad mourners surrounding (Masoud Pezeskian) chanted not in tribute to the late leader, but directly at him – “death to the compromiser.” And Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.” (18/07/26)

Essential to the coup was for Ghalibaf and his allies to strengthen their position in Parliament and within foreign policy decision-making. They did this by buying time through the suspension of Parliament in order to consolidate their position, with CNN reporting:

“Hardliners have accused Iran’s visible leadership – those running and representing the country as Khamenei remains in hiding – of plotting to consolidate power by suspending parliament, defying his orders in negotiations and attempting to disperse the nightly street rallies that had become a potent power base for fundamentalists.” )18/07/26)

Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabhavian also asked on X:

“Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??”

Ghalibaf and his co-conspirators’ machinations paid off when, on Tuesday, 14 July, hardliners suffered a setback after losing key posts on Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. Ghalibaf secured his seventh term as Speaker, while Mahmoud Nabhavian, one of the most hardline critics of negotiations with the United States, lost his position as deputy chairman.

According to Iran International:

“Iran’s parliament voted two outspoken critics of negotiations with the United States out of senior posts on its National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Tuesday, a day after lawmakers returned to the chamber for the first time in more than four months. Mahmoud Nabavian lost his position as the committee’s first deputy chairman, while Ebrahim Rezaei was replaced as the committee’s spokesperson, according to the committee’s annual leadership vote.” (16/07/26)

With the biggest threat to America and its allies—Araghchi, Pezeshkian, and Ghalibaf—coming from within the IRGC, its affiliated Fars News Agency questioned the legitimacy of the vote on Tuesday, describing the election as “shrouded in ambiguity” (Iran International, 16/07/26).

According to Iran International, the committee changes “were not a strategic disaster but a soft coup against the country’s security,” with “the outcome shift[ing] the committee’s balance toward lawmakers seen as more supportive of diplomacy” (16/07/26).

Hardline parliamentarian Kamran Ghazanfari stated:

“They are trying to elevate the role of the Supreme Council for National Security while diminishing the role of the supreme leader and parliament… This is the political coup they have designed and are carrying out step by step.””

The soft coup and American coordination were evidenced by Ghalibaf’s increased confidence in advancing the diplomatic route towards capitulation, in tandem with comments made by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. Ghalibaf defended his position by stating:

“War and negotiation are two methods of protecting the national interest”

He insisted that negotiations are:

“part of safeguarding national interests, not synonymous with compromise.” (Iran International 16/6/26

Hours later, Vance struck a remarkably similar tone in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, rejecting the idea of overthrowing Iran’s government through U.S. military force. He argued that diplomacy, backed by military pressure, remained the preferred way to manage the crisis and criticised “warmongers” pushing for conflict. A well-funded covert campaign, Vance claimed, was seeking to derail negotiations and any agreement with Tehran.

The timing and content of Ghalibaf’s and Vance’s comments and positions are, according to this analysis, not coincidental but coordinated as part of America’s push to increase the influence of those advocating capitulation.

The evidence was clear with regards to Ghalibaf’s defence of the MOU signed with America which was effectively seen as capitulation especially on the nuclear issue and one which even Mojtaba Khomeini stated that he ” did not like” was aggressively pushed by Ghalibaf when he stated; “We must stand firm on the achievements secured through the MoU until the nation’s rights are fully realized,”

The seven-day escalation in military attacks by the U.S., specifically targeting internal infrastructure and the IRGC, is also presented as coordinated with the internal coup in order to turn the public against those seeking independence from America and towards those advocating capitulation.