Iran’s Power Struggle: A Simple Guide to the Chaos After Khamenei’s Death

What Happened at the Funeral?

Imagine a very sad parade for a country’s top leader. Last week in Tehran (Iran’s capital), people walked behind the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in airstrikes.

But not everyone was being nice:

• President Masoud Pezeshkian walked next to the coffin.
• Some people dressed in black shouted at him: “death to the compromiser” (meaning someone who gives in too easily).
• Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat (the person who talks to other countries), helped make a ceasefire (a stop-fighting deal) with the US and lifted some punishments on Iran.
• A crowd threw rocks at him and yelled “traitorous sellout” so he had to run away.

Important: Even at a funeral, regular leaders were being attacked by angry people who thought they were betraying the country.

Why Are People So Mad?

For months, the most extreme groups in Iran (called “hardliners”) have believed a theory:

• Iran’s wartime leaders signed a deal with Washington (the US).
• They think those leaders are doing a “soft coup” — that means quietly taking power without a loud takeover — against the country’s revolutionary ideas.
• The new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei (son of the late leader), is hiding and not showing himself. Some think he is scared for his life; others think he is too sick to appear.
• Hardliners say leaders surrendered instead of punishing those who killed Khamenei, and they broke Mojtaba’s orders.

The Accusations of a Coup

Hardliners say the visible leaders (the ones running things while Mojtaba hides) are:

• Trying to grab power by pausing parliament (the group that makes laws).
• Ignoring the supreme leader’s orders in talks with the US.
• Trying to stop nightly street protests that hardliners use as their power base.

A loud lawmaker named Mahmoud Nabavian posted on X (a social media site):

1. Before the funeral: “Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??”
2. After the funeral: “We raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup.”

An expert (Arash Azizi) says: because Mojtaba is missing, people like Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian are effectively in charge, so angry hardliners call it a coup against Mojtaba.

‘Us, the Blade and Your Throat’

Despite people saying “let’s unite during war,” the funeral became a stage for extreme supporters. They wanted:

• Revenge by fighting the US again.
• No agreement with Trump (US president at the time).

Their wish partly came true:

• A shaky ceasefire between Iran and US mostly fell apart.
• Revolutionary Guards (a powerful military group in Iran) attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz (a narrow, important water path).
• The US hit back, and hardliners said “cancel the truce!”

Before fighting restarted, hardliners threatened leaders:

• A regime-loyal religious singer told President Pezeshkian: “If the leader’s conditions aren’t met, it will be us, the blade and your throat… we will bring hell upon you.”
• He faced no punishment.

Other targeted officials:

• Ghalibaf, the main negotiator with the US, a former Guard commander now seen as the real boss.
• A parliament member, Kamran Ghazanfari, said on video: they are boosting a security council and shrinking the supreme leader’s and parliament’s role — “this is the political coup… step by step.”

On Tuesday:

• Nabavian was kicked off a security committee with another deal-critic.
• He had leaked the deal text to media and said negotiators crossed the leader’s red lines.

The “Super Revolutionaries”

Nabavian and friends belong to “Jebhe-ye Paydari” (Endurance Front), nicknamed “Super Revolutionaries.”

• They guard the 1979 revolution that removed a Western-friendly king and made a religious government.
• Experts say current leaders are pushing them out because they are “too costly” and fight publicly as Iran gets unstable.
• They are few but hold big spots: parliament, state TV (which ran campaigns against the president).
• One leader, Saeed Jalili, got 13 million votes in 2024 (Iran has ~93 million people) — so they aren’t nothing.

Is the Country Totally Broken?

Trump called Iran “seriously fractured” (deeply split).

• Observers say the regime still agrees on one big goal: stop the war in a way that lifts sanctions (punishments) and keeps control of the Hormuz strait.
• But Mojtaba’s hiding, his weak support for the truce, stronger Guards, and huge funeral crowds made hardliners push to keep fighting the US and Israel.

Example: ex-minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on TV: grab 100 US soldiers from a base and bring them to Iran.

Summary

• Iran’s top leader Ali Khamenei was killed; his son Mojtaba is in hiding.
• Visible leaders (Pezeshkian, Araghchi, Ghalibaf) made a US ceasefire deal.
• Hardliners at the funeral screamed traitor and threw rocks, believing a quiet coup is happening.
• They threaten leaders, get removed from posts, but still push for more war.
• The country is split, yet united on ending war with sanctions relief and keeping key waterways.

FAQ

1. Who is the “supreme leader” in Iran?
The highest religious-political boss. Ali was killed; his son Mojtaba is supposed to be next but is hidden.

2. What is a “soft coup”?
Taking control slowly and quietly without a big violent takeover — at least in the accusers’ view.

3. Why does the Strait of Hormuz matter?
It’s a narrow sea lane where lots of the world’s oil moves; controlling it is a big power tool.

4. What are hardliners / Super Revolutionaries?
People who want strict follow of the 1979 Islamic revolution and reject deals with the US.

5. Did the ceasefire work?
Not really — it mostly collapsed after Iran attacked ships and the US responded.