Why Iran is caught in a bitter factional battle over Pezeshkian's cabinet

A tug of war has erupted among Iran’s political elite, with newly sworn-in President Masaud Pezeshkian’s choice of Mohammad Javad Zarif as head of the steering committee facing heavy criticism from conservatives, ultimately leading Zarif to resign from the position.

The wrangling over Pezeshkian’s potential cabinet continues in the Shia-majority country. Pezeshkian, a moderate politician and trained heart surgeon, assumed the presidency in late July, just over a month after the hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in western Iran. Raisi’s death was a worrisome development for Tehran amid Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has pushed the Middle East to dangerous margins. Tehran-backed proxies like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis are countering Tel Aviv on borders and in offshore sea skirmishes.

With the arrival of the new president, who is of Turkic origin, Zarif, the former foreign minister under the Hassan Rouhani government, was appointed to lead a steering committee, which was tasked to ensure that candidates for cabinet positions align with moderate views and represent youth, women and various ethnic groups.

But Zarif, who led the committee in his capacity as Pezeshkian’s vice president for strategic affairs, has been frustrated with the president’s final nominations, most of whom did not meet Zarif’s standards for progressiveness.

"I am not satisfied with the outcome of my work and I am ashamed that I could not achieve the expert opinion of the committees and the inclusion of women, youth, and ethnic groups as I had pledged," said Zarif in a post on Instagram. Today, he posted a tweet on X saying that he had resigned last week.

Those who voted for Pezeshkian sought “a much more progressive administration”, yet much of his cabinet selection consists of candidates blessed by hardliners. Since hardliners hold a majority in the parliament, their consent is key in determining the cabinet’s formation .

“Some voters are not happy because they think if we have won the election why do we have to share the power with other parties,” Fatima Karimkhan, a Tehran-based Iranian journalist, tells TRT World.

While Zarif represents moderate Iranians, the political reality in Tehran is shaped by hardliners, according to the Iranian journalist.

Karimkhan says Pezeshkian has “no other choice” but agreeing to some of the hardliners’ demands.

"One should not expect miracles from this government, especially considering that more than 80 percent of the country's power is in the hands of other entities," said Azar Mansouri, a reformist Iranian politician, referring to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

If both sides show flexibility and reach a consensus, the cabinet will receive the vote it needs from the parliament, allowing the administration to start the job smoothly, says Karimkhan.

“But if the parliament chooses not to vote for critical positions like the labour, health and foreign ministers, then, things may go awry.”

Zarif vs hardliners

Zarif, an American-educated Iranian, has long been criticised by hardliners for having ties with Western states and institutions. He earned his PhD in international law from the University of Denver, with his thesis focused on "Self-Defense in International Law and Policy”,

Zarif’s two US-born children have often come under verbal attack from Iran’s hardliners. In a recent tweet, Zarif addressed the issue of his children holding dual citizenships – one of Iran and the other of the US. As hardliners frequently invoke a law enacted during the 1979 revolution, which prevents Iranian politicians from having ties with Western states, Zarif responded by calling it “a strange interpretation of the law approved in 1979”.

Betraying a tone of disillusionment, he wrote on X: “In order to avoid any suspicions or excuses for disrupting the work of the government of dear Dr. Pezeskhian, I resigned from the position of the vice president for strategic affairs last week,” he added.

“The hardliners are very tough on him and there was pressure on the new administration involving him. He was aware from the beginning that the hardliners would not go easy on him,” says Karimkhan.

“He is more of a diplomat than a political figure inside Iran. As he mentioned in his resignation letter, he thought he didn't have the experience to be helpful in domestic politics”.

It remains to be seen whether Pezeskhian will accept Zarif’s resignation.

‘More Palestinian than Palestinians’

Zarif’s recent criticism of Iran’s Palestine policy, which has been recently circulated in social media in a sign of escalating tensions between moderates and hawks, also drew hardliner anger.

"Iranians are tired of a government that is trying to be more Palestinian than the Palestinians themselves," said Zarif, during a speech in an event, referring to Tehran’s increasing tensions with Israel, which some view can be turned into a regional war across the Middle East.

“I think he is right. No one here is looking for another war. Palestinian people have to fight for their rights. Iran cannot be a part of this fight,” says Karimkhan.

But the Iranian journalist also underlines that there is “nothing new” in this argument. Iran has always said that the Palestinians are the only ones who have to choose what government they want,” she says.

Zarif has publicly spoken about his unease with the country’s hardliners. In 2021, the then-foreign minister complained that he had “zero” influence over the country’s most critical decisions in relation to international politics.

"I have never been able to tell a military commander to do something in order to aid diplomacy," Zarif said during a leaked conversation, underlining the outsized power of the country’s military led by the Revolutionary Guards over the diplomacy corps.

Zarif’s criticism generated a strong rebuke from Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who called his comment “a big mistake.”