Tehran: Iran’s leadership has rejected what it says are false claims of an internal power struggle, denying foreign media reports that former President Hassan Rouhani tried to take control during last month’s deadly nationwide protests.
Authorities in Tehran described the reports as part of an organised disinformation effort designed to weaken the country during a period of unrest and international pressure.
The controversy erupted after a French publication claimed Rouhani had convened senior clerics, commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and prominent political leaders, including former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, to challenge the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s embassy in Paris rejected the story outright. In a statement released through state media, it said the report was “likely based on false information and speculative accounts provided to the author”.
“This article is a clear example of an organised campaign to produce and disseminate false and fabricated information aimed at damaging Iran’s image. It holds no real value or credibility,” the embassy said.
Claims of internal rift rejected
The report alleged that Rouhani attempted to sideline the 86-year-old supreme leader and change the Islamic Republic’s leadership structure. It further claimed the effort collapsed after security chief Ali Larijani declined to back the move.
Western media later reported that Larijani had been granted expanded authority in preparation for potential conflict scenarios involving the United States.
According to the same account, Rouhani and Zarif were briefly placed under arrest following violent crackdowns during protests on January 8 and 9 that left thousands dead. The allegations circulated in Iran’s political circles after being echoed by hardline lawmakers last month.
Both men publicly denied the claims at the time. Rouhani appeared along with former reformist President Mohammad Khatami and released photographs from a funeral gathering to demonstrate he was moving freely.
His office issued a response this week, calling the reports a “continuation of the psychological operations of American and Israeli sources”. The former president said the narrative is aimed at creating “doubt and concern among public opinion in Iran to complete their [the US and Israel] maximum pressure through economic sanctions and military threats”.
Reformist pressure grows after protest killings
Iranian officials also rejected suggestions that recent arrests of reformist leaders were linked to any alleged political plot. The embassy in Paris said the detentions were connected solely to public statements made during the January unrest.
Several detainees have since been released after posting substantial bail, while others are imprisoned due to earlier political cases still pending before judicial authorities.
The strongest criticism following the protest killings came from former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has lived under house arrest since the protests that followed Iran’s disputed 2009 election. In a rare statement, he declared that the “game is over” and called for a peaceful transition away from the Islamic Republic.
Authorities later detained activists accused of helping circulate his message.
Reformist leaders, including Khatami and Rouhani, have urged structural reforms, while the Reformists Front warned it may dissolve if the political system refuses to change course.
Khamenei addressed the unrest by describing it as a “coup” orchestrated to serve American and Israeli interests, reinforcing the leadership’s long-standing claim that foreign actors exploit domestic dissent.
Student demonstrations resumed this week across Tehran and several major cities as universities reopened after weeks of closure following the nationwide protests.
Disputed security incidents add to tensions
The political dispute took place along with other contested reports rejected by Iranian authorities in recent days. The exiled opposition group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), which has been declared as a terrorist organisation by Tehran, claimed it carried out a major armed operation near the supreme leader’s headquarters in the capital.
The group alleged that more than 100 fighters were killed or captured during hours of clashes inside Tehran’s Pasteur district. Residents reported hearing loud noises and several nearby schools were suddenly closed, though officials said there was no evidence of a large-scale firefight.
Senior IRGC commander Gholamreza Sanaei Rad dismissed the claims, saying such an operation could not occur in one of the capital’s most secure zones without widespread visibility. State-linked media described the incident as staged noise intended to generate propaganda value.
Iran has long accused the MEK of collaborating with foreign powers and points to its alliance with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war as a reason for its limited domestic support.
Regional rumours also denied
Another Western media report suggested that Recep Tayyip Erdogan might consider a military operation inside Iran if regional conflict triggered refugee flows toward Türkiye. Ankara denied the claim.
A statement from Erdogan’s communications office said the allegation contained “disinformation” and expressed respect for neighbouring countries’ sovereignty. “Our state, which has always respected the territorial integrity and sovereignty of neighboring countries, takes the necessary measures to ensure our border security on a 24/7 basis, whether there are crises or not,” it said.
Information battles mirror political unrest
The wave of denials highlights how Iran’s leadership faces a parallel struggle over narratives as protests, political dissent and geopolitical pressure converge. Officials portray foreign reporting as part of a broader psychological campaign, while reformist voices continue calling for change inside the system.
As protests return and different versions of events spread around the world, Iran’s internal politics are facing attention, with each new development adding to debates over legitimacy, stability and the country’s future path.
