As first reported by Channel 14: A source familiar with the details told the Iranian opposition channel Iran International this evening (Sunday) that Iranian President Massoud Pazeshkian sent an official letter to the office of Mojtaba Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in which he asked to resign from his position.
According to information obtained by Iran International, in the letter – which was sent in recent hours – Pazeshkian warned in an unusual and critical tone that the state’s management structure has effectively deviated from official channels, and that the central centers of power in the government are under the full control of a certain faction in the Revolutionary Guards.
At this stage, it is unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei will approve the president’s resignation, but the content of the letter indicates a deep rift at the top of the Iranian government. Pazeshkian also wrote that the president and the government were effectively excluded from the country’s central and sensitive decision-making processes, and that the vacuum created allowed extremist elements in the Revolutionary Guards to take over the running of affairs. According to him, under these circumstances, he cannot continue to run the government and fulfill his legal responsibilities – and therefore asked to resign immediately.
About two months ago, our Iran correspondent Dror Balzada published that sources familiar with the details said that Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian is currently considering resigning from his position because he feels that “the entire system is crumbling,” and following the assassinations of Basij commander Ali Ardeshir Aamouli Larijani and Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
The sources described an unusual fury on the part of the president towards the Revolutionary Guards. According to them, their conduct is perceived as reckless, and Pazeshkian even claims that they did not protect Ali Larijani as required. Some go so far as to claim that this was not just a failure, but a deliberate move designed to lead to Larijani’s elimination.
According to the same sources, the ousted Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council was seen as the main threat to Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and therefore removing him from the scene served their interests.