Iranian Officials Deny Claim That President Pezeshkian Offered to Resign 28 Times
A member of the Assembly of Experts alleged that the Supreme Leader’s office had threatened to accept the next resignation, prompting denials from both the presidency and the leader’s office.
A claim by Mohammad-Bagher Kharazi, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and a relative by marriage of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that President Masoud Pezeshkian had submitted his resignation 28 times and that the Supreme Leader’s office had warned it would be accepted if repeated, has been firmly denied by both the president’s office and the office of the Supreme Leader. Kharazi specifically stated that “the Leader of the Revolution (Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei) wrote that if Pezeshkian resigns one more time, we will accept his resignation,” according to Radio Farda and Khabar Online.
The public relations office of the Supreme Leader issued a statement calling the claim “completely false and contrary to fact,” Khabar Online reported. President Pezeshkian himself, in a short video released by his office, said, “I will not resign and I will stand firm.” The newspaper Jomhuri-ye Eslami, as quoted by Donya-e Eqtesad and Khabar Online, described the episode as a “conspiracy” by a “mysterious current” seeking to force the president’s removal and collapse the government, and argued that such actions benefit the enemy.
Radio Farda noted that the incident reflects deeper political rifts and a “war of narratives” within the Islamic Republic, coming amid tensions between the government and state television over coverage of the executive branch. The outlet also recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump had remarked that the United States does not know with whom it is negotiating in Iran due to the opaque power structure. Khabar Online reported that hardliners have repeatedly launched campaigns to oust Pezeshkian, including a recent call by Meysam Nili, a media figure linked to former President Ebrahim Raisi, who urged supporters to “fulfil our duty” to force the president’s resignation regardless of the Supreme Leader’s stance. The newspaper Khorasan, cited by Khabar Online, criticized such “super-revolutionaries” for pursuing their own path rather than that of the Supreme Leader.
Jomhuri-ye Eslami, in a separate editorial, called on the judiciary to take action against the individual who made the false claim, arguing that such fabrications harm national unity and benefit enemies. The same newspaper also urged President Pezeshkian to overhaul his media team, asserting that a strong and timely media response could have neutralized the rumour. The dossier remains open as the president’s office has not announced any further steps, and the judiciary has yet to respond to the calls for legal action.
| Iranian & allied press | −0.40 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Continental European press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Latin American press | −0.10 | neutral |
The Iranian system dismisses the resignation rumors as a plot by traitors and demands exemplary punishment for the defamers, reaffirming the unity of the domestic front.
Credibility is built through the repeated assertion of the rumor's falsity and the call for judicial intervention, turning a political controversy into a matter of national security and loyalty.
Any reference to real internal tensions or political divergences between the president and the leadership, which could make the rumor plausible, is omitted.
The European analysis reads the resignation rumors as an indicator of infighting between rival factions in Iran, not as an isolated event.
Plausibility comes from linking the episode to pre-existing conflicts (e.g., with state TV) and a 'war of narratives' framework, which normalizes the news as part of a political game.
The 'conspiracy' dimension and the call for judicial action, central to the Iranian press, are omitted.
The Latin American reflection transcends the specific case to discuss democratic risks and women's rights, using Iran as a distant example.
The news is made plausible not through factual details, but as an illustration of a perceived global trend, making it relevant to the local audience.
Any specific detail about the Iranian affair (number of resignations, actors involved, official reactions) is omitted, making the frame almost detached from the event.
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