▲ Funeral procession for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei held in Najaf, Iraq
As hardline voices grow louder in Iran, the position of the moderate faction is becoming increasingly precarious, the New York Times (NYT) reported on July 8 (local time).
According to the NYT analysis, while the moderates, who sought diplomatic solutions, once held the upper hand during the war phase that began in late February, the atmosphere has been shifting.
Such circumstances became increasingly evident during the funeral period for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which began on July 4.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, a key figure among the moderates, joined the funeral procession on July 6, the third day of the mourning period, only to be threatened by hardline supporters.
Videos circulating online show a crowd, appearing to be hardliners, surrounding President Pezeshkian and shouting, "Death to the appeaser," with some even attempting to knock him down.
Surrounded by his security detail, President Pezeshkian was seen stumbling and unable to hide his bewildered expression.
Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister and a central figure in Iran's negotiating team with the U.S., faced an even more severe ordeal.
The NYT reported that while moving through an alleyway during the funeral on July 6, he was chased and struck by a stone.
Those who attacked Minister Araghchi also waved flags while hurling insults and curses at him.
The NYT pointed out that these scenes illustrate the extreme polarization between the moderate and hardline factions.
Despite diplomatic efforts, including a temporary ceasefire in April and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on ending the war between the U.S. and Iran in June, anger among hardliners toward the moderates has reached a breaking point within Iran.
Adding fuel to the fire is the resumption of armed conflict in the Strait of Hormuz over the past two days.
On July 7, merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz were struck by missiles, suspected to have been launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which leads Iran's hardline faction. In response, President Trump declared retaliation and conducted airstrikes on various locations in southern Iran for the second consecutive day.
Iran also immediately launched drones and missiles at U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, continuing the cycle of retaliation.
Consequently, the rift between Iran's moderate and hardline factions has deepened, and the NYT reported that hardline opponents of President Pezeshkian are directing their anger toward the President's camp, including the negotiating team.
Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the NYT that the Iranian political landscape is in a state of internal chaos, with intense finger-pointing underway.
However, these officials added that no decision has yet been made regarding whether Iran will continue the conflict or pursue further diplomatic efforts.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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