Strait of Hormuz Diplomacy Exposes Iran's Deepening Power Struggle |
As Iran’s economy buckles under runaway inflation, a collapsing currency, and mounting strikes by workers, pensioners, and teachers, the ruling establishment in Tehran has entered a dangerous new phase – open internal conflict. The slogans of “unity” and “resistance” endlessly repeated by regime officials now ring hollow. Beneath the surface, rival factions are battling over how to preserve a system that increasingly appears incapable of saving itself.
The divisions have become impossible to conceal. Even regime-controlled newspapers now openly acknowledge fierce struggles inside the Majlis (parliament) and across the security and diplomatic apparatus. The latest confrontation erupted during the May 25 elections for the third session of Iran’s 12th parliament, where extremist factions mounted a determined effort to weaken Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf. Although Ghalibaf secured another term, the infighting revealed something far more significant than routine political rivalry. It exposed a regime split into two increasingly irreconcilable camps. One faction believes tactical concessions to Washington and the West offer the only path to preventing another nationwide uprising similar to protests earlier this year that resulted in a brutal crackdown by the regime, resulting in over 30,000 deaths. The opposing camp views compromise as existential surrender, a course that would demoralize the regime’s loyalist base, weaken its regional proxy network, and accelerate internal collapse.
That strategic divide now shapes every major decision in Tehran. The diplomatic front illustrates the fracture with particular clarity. Ghalibaf’s visit to Doha alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati underscored the urgency surrounding negotiations with Washington. Talks reportedly focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and establishing a framework for de-escalation after months of........