Several Iranian officials have rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims that there are rifts in Iran’s leadership, stressing that their country is united.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragushi, and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf all issued statements denying the US president’s claims.
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Mr. Pezeshkian and Mr. Ghalibaf participated in the Supreme Council of National Security and posted the same message on X.
“There are no radicals or moderates in Iran,” he said.
“We are all ‘Iranians’ and ‘revolutionaries’ and with the iron unity of our nation and government and complete obedience to the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, we will make the criminal aggressors regret their actions.”
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref also shared the statement, adding another note in English.
“Iran is not a country of rifts, but a bastion of unity,” Aref said. “Our political diversity is our democracy, but in times of crisis we are ‘one hand’ under one flag. To protect our soil and dignity, we transcend all labels. We are one soul, one nation.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since replacing his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on February 28.
U.S. officials said the young Ayatollah Khamenei was injured and “disfigured” in the attack that killed his father.
The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing unnamed Iranian officials, that Khamenei was seriously injured but “mentally alert.”
President Trump and his aides have reiterated daily over the past week that there are major differences between Iran’s leaders.
The US president claimed that Iranians are having a “very hard time understanding who their leader is” and that there is “insane” infighting in Tehran between “moderates” and “hardliners”.
Araghchi on Thursday dismissed claims that Iran’s military is at odds with its political leadership.
“The battlefield and diplomacy are perfectly aligned in the same war. The Iranian people are more united than ever.”
“Agreements will only be concluded when it is appropriate and good for the United States, our allies, and indeed the rest of the world.”
However, the current ceasefire remains tenuous. Air defenses were activated over Tehran early Thursday, but there has been no official confirmation of an attack on the country.
President Trump said earlier Thursday that the U.S. military would “shoot and kill” Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which he said could trigger a counterattack.
Israel also appears to be prepared to re-enter the war.イスラエル・カッツ国防大臣は木曜日、イランを「暗黒の時代」に戻すためのトランプ大統領のゴーサインを待っていると述べた。
