Iranian Hardliners Signal 'Coup' Fears Amid Truce Tensions
WHO:
CNN - Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian
CNN - Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
CNN - Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat
CNN - Mahmoud Nabavian, hardline lawmaker
CNN - Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, chief negotiator
CNN - Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor
CNN - Kamran Ghazanfari, hardline parliamentarian
CNN - Manouchehr Mottaki, former Iranian foreign minister
CNN - Saeed Jalili, former national security chief
WHAT:
CNN - A fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US collapsed after the Revolutionary Guards launched attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting retaliatory strikes by Washington and fresh demands by Iranian hardliners to scrap the truce.
CNN - Mohammad Ali Bakhshi, a security-linked “Maddah,” warned President Pezeshkian, “if the leader’s conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be us, the blade and your throat.”
CNN - Kamran Ghazanfari stated that hardliners are trying to elevate the role of the Supreme Council for National Security while diminishing the role of the supreme leader and parliament, describing it as a “political coup they have designed and are carrying out step by step.”
CNN - Nabavian claimed that Iran’s negotiating team was defying the supreme leader’s red lines in their talks with the US.
CNN - Hardliners in Iran are warning of a potential 'coup' as tensions rise over a truce with the US.
CNN - A fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US collapsed after Revolutionary Guards launched attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN - The weeklong grand funeral for Khamenei showcased hardline supporters demanding vengeance against the US.
CNN - Nabavian was removed from his position on the parliament’s National Security Commission.
WHERE:
CNN - Tehran, Iran
CNN - Strait of Hormuz
WHEN:
CNN - Khamenei was killed in late February in Israeli airstrikes coordinated with the United States.
CNN - The agreement with the US was signed last month.
WHY:
CNN - Hardliners believe that wartime leaders who negotiated with the US are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic.
CNN - The hardline factions accuse the visible leadership of plotting to consolidate power by suspending parliament and defying the new supreme leader’s orders.
HOW:
CNN - Hardliners are attempting to sideline visible leaders like Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian, accusing them of plotting a coup against the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained hidden from public view.
CNN - Hardliners used Khamenei’s funeral to amplify demands for renewed war with Washington and to reject any agreement with Trump.
CNN - Hardliners are attempting to elevate the role of the Supreme Council for National Security while diminishing the role of the supreme leader and parliament.
(UPDATED July 18, 2026 19:20 UTC)
A fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US has collapsed after the Revolutionary Guards launched attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to retaliatory strikes by Washington and fresh demands from Iranian hardliners to abandon the truce. Mohammad Ali Bakhshi, a security-linked figure, issued a stark warning to President Pezeshkian, stating that failure to meet the leader’s conditions could result in dire consequences. Meanwhile, hardliners are reportedly working to elevate the Supreme Council for National Security's influence while diminishing the roles of the supreme leader and parliament, which they describe as a carefully orchestrated political coup.
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(UPDATED July 18, 2026 17:16 UTC)
In Tehran, hardliners are warning of a potential coup as tensions escalate over a recent truce with the US, which collapsed following attacks by Revolutionary Guards on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The weeklong grand funeral for the late Supreme Leader Khamenei saw supporters demanding vengeance against the US, while hardliners accuse wartime leaders of staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic by negotiating with Trump. As part of this power struggle, hardliners are pushing to elevate the Supreme Council for National Security and diminish the influence of both the supreme leader and parliament.