The fact that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has resigned as the new Iranian President and has been sacked from office triggered speculation on Sunday, but senior Iranian officials quickly dismissed the allegations as false and politically motivated.
The rumours came as the peace talks between Iran and the United States were in the news. Iran International reported that Pezeshkian had submitted a resignation letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he could not govern due to the strong influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and hardline political factions.
The report, which cited an anonymous source, claimed that the Iranian president was frustrated at not being involved in decision-making in the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian’s position as head of government was to no longer be fulfilled because of the influence of the IRGC on the state policy of the country, the report alleged.
The resignation letter raised concerns about parallel power structures in the country, and what happens if the elected government cannot implement its agenda, it said. The publication said nothing official and did not say if the alleged resignation had been accepted.
The report quickly spread to international media and social media networks, and it came after Pezeshkian posted a cryptic message on X that raised speculation about his political future.
Iranian Officials Reject Claims
Iranian officials reacted quickly to deny the claims.
Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy Head of Communications in the Presidential Office, dismissed the resignation claims in a post on X, saying they were completely false.
He accused foreign media outlets of playing “media games” to damage Iran’s internal cohesion and national unity.
"Those seeking to undermine Iran's national unity will once again take that wish to the grave," Tabatabaei wrote, adding that President Pezeshkian was committed to serving the Iranian people and would not shrink away from his responsibilities.
He also said Iran will stay united and solid even though divisions are spreading within the country.
Government Information Council Responds
The denial was reinforced by Elias Hazrati, Director of the Government Information Council, who also took to X to reject the reports.
Hazrati said Pezeshkian was carrying out his responsibilities and was fully focused on the management of the country.
"President Pezeshkian is fully engaged with all his might in pursuing the affairs of the country and serving the people," Hazrati wrote.
He criticised foreign media organisations and affiliated networks for spreading what he described as baseless rumours that he said were designed to sow despair, division and discord among Iranians.
Hazrati said such reports have nothing to do with reality and aim to damage public confidence in the government. He said attempts to break the national unity and to break the relationship between the government and the people would ultimately fail.
No Official Confirmation
At this stage, neither President Pezeshkian nor any other senior Iranian leader has made any public comments on the resignation rumours. No official government document or information has been released to support the claims made in the initial report.
In the face of contradictory narratives, the situation is being closely monitored both in Iran and abroad as diplomatic talks between Tehran and Washington continue to be of great interest.
Iranian officials continue to maintain that President Pezeshkian is still in office and performing his job, dismissing speculation that he is quitting as unfounded.
