Domestic Politics

Iranian newspapers and digital outlets split sharply over the emerging US-Iran memorandum, with hardliners denouncing it as retreat and pro-diplomacy outlets framing it as a system-backed path to end the war and ease economic pressure.

Iran’s parliament research arm warned the country’s power grid could face a 13,640-megawatt summer peak deficit, about 17% of projected demand and roughly a third of the country’s average 2024 electricity load, as war damage deepens chronic power shortages.

Iran’s Special Clerical Court has sentenced dissident cleric Abdolrahim Soleimani Ardestani to six years in prison, a fine and removal from the clergy, months after his public challenge to state-backed Shiite narratives drew threats and political pressure.

The brief exchange of strikes between Iran and Israel revealed a reality that weeks of ceasefire and diplomacy between Tehran and Washington had obscured: neither side appears willing to absorb a blow without responding, even if doing so risks a return to wider war.

As indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington continue and regional actors push to keep negotiations alive, competing signals continue to emerge from Iran's political establishment.

Iran's imports of services surged to a record $25.5 billion in 2025 while merchandise imports fell sharply, according to newly released data from the Central Bank of Iran, highlighting a significant shift in the country's trade structure.

Supporters of the ultra-hardline Paydari Front were removed earlier this week from nightly state-organized rallies backing the Islamic Republic, in an apparent effort to contain hardline pressure as talks with the United States continue, Iran International has learned.

As Tehran reviews US proposals and influential figures increasingly speak openly in favor of negotiations, developments on the ground are pulling Iran and the United States in the opposite direction.

Iran’s conservative establishment appears to be pushing back against its own ultra-radical fringe after a hardline lawmaker accused President Masoud Pezeshkian of bypassing the Supreme Leader over the April ceasefire with the United States.

Despite continued uncertainty over the outcome of the Iran-US talks, signs that some Iranians are positioning for a possible diplomatic breakthrough are emerging in markets, public debate and government-linked circles.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has submitted an official letter of resignation to the Office of the Supreme Leader, a source familiar with the matter told Iran International.

Hardline Iranian lawmaker Hamid Rasaei has sparked intense controversy after publishing a social media post that many interpreted as an indirect swipe at Mojtaba Khamenei, drawing sharp criticism from supporters of the Islamic Republic.

Names on a memorial poster for four relatives and in-laws of Ali Khamenei offer a rare snapshot of how family ties link Iran’s ruling household to parliament, elite universities and the Supreme Leader’s office.

Iran largely restored internet access on Tuesday after 88 days of near-total isolation, NetBlocks said, while major social media platforms remained blocked and a court challenge cast uncertainty over the government's restoration order.

Talk of a possible agreement between Tehran and Washington has intensified political attacks on parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a central figure in Iran’s diplomatic push and a politician widely seen as backing a more pragmatic approach to negotiations.

The internet was once seen in Iran as a gateway to the outside world, but it is increasingly being reshaped into something narrower and more conditional: a privilege that can be restricted, filtered or priced at will.

A senior Iranian cleric said women without proper hijab should not be excluded from wartime gatherings, while Nour News, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, called for reason and moderation over ideological confrontation.

Hope for a limited US-Iran agreement gained momentum Friday as regional mediators intensified efforts to stabilize the ceasefire, but the fragile diplomacy faced hostility from Iranian hardliners who cast negotiations as a prelude to renewed conflict.