Conflicting reports emerged Sunday over the status of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after an opposition media outlet claimed he had submitted his resignation, while Iranian government officials strongly denied the allegation.
London-based outlet Iran International reported that Pezeshkian sent a resignation letter to the office of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Citing an anonymous official, the report alleged that the president complained that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had assumed control over significant portions of government decision-making and that senior civilian officials had been sidelined.
According to the report, Pezeshkian argued he could no longer effectively govern or fulfill his responsibilities under those conditions and therefore sought to step down.
Anonymous sources cited by the outlet said tensions between Pezeshkian and leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps centered on the handling of the ongoing conflict and its impact on Iran’s economy and citizens’ livelihoods.
Iranian officials quickly rejected the report.
In a post on X, Presidential Office Deputy Head of Communications Mehdi Tabatabaei described claims that Pezeshkian had resigned as “false” and dismissed them as part of ongoing “media games” by foreign outlets, the Anadolu Agency reported.
“Pezeshkian would not back down from serving the Iranian people,” Tabatabaei said.
He added that Iran “would not retreat from the path of unity and solidarity.”
A separate government source also rejected the claims of resignation, saying the president continues to carry out his duties and that his official schedule remains unchanged.
The source characterized the reports as misinformation designed to create uncertainty and division within the country and questioned the reliability of unnamed sources frequently cited in such reports.
The dispute comes amid heightened tensions inside and outside Iran following months of conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
Iranian state-linked media reported Monday that Tehran had suspended indirect talks with U.S. negotiators in protest over Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. The decision was reported by Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also called for Lebanon to be included in any ceasefire arrangements, writing on social media that “The United States and Israel bear responsibility for the consequences of any breach of the truce.”
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have continued efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending the conflict. Reports indicated that Washington recently presented a revised peace proposal as diplomatic talks remained stalled.
Additional uncertainty surrounds Iran’s leadership structure. According to reports citing U.S. officials, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is operating from a secret location and can reportedly be reached only through a network of couriers. The officials said even senior Iranian government figures are unable to contact him directly.
Despite claims of Pezeshkian’s resignation circulating in international media, Iranian officials maintained on Sunday that Pezeshkian remains in office and continues to perform his presidential duties. The Iranian government has made no official announcement of a resignation.
