Iran's hardliners fear being sidelined in US deal

Published 17 June 2026 · politics

As an Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war moves closer to formal signature, hardline supporters of the Islamic Republic fear losing influence as Iran's

As an Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war moves closer to formal signature, hardline supporters of the Islamic Republic fear losing influence as Iran's politics shift from maximalist defiance to compromise. In the run-up to the expected formal signing of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday, Iran's political atmosphere has grown visibly more tense. Hardline factions that stayed relatively muted during much of the war are now mounting a loud campaign against the leaked terms of the agreement, which has not been fully made public, accusing the negotiating team of retreat and betrayal. The backlash is no longer confined to speeches and headlines. It has spilled into the streets, where groups of regime supporters have staged protest rallies. Hardliners are calling for negotiations with the US to be stopped over fears the deal will reshape both Iran's foreign policy and its internal balance of power. There were reports that dozens protested outside a Foreign Ministry office in the city of Mashhad, with similar hardline anger seen in Tehran as well. According to videos and images circulated by domestic outlets and other published accounts, demonstrators in Tehran's Ibn Sina Square shouted slogans calling for the resignation of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who are seen as the principal negotiators with the US. Some of the protesters reportedly even shouted slogans calling for violence against Araqchi and Ghalibaf.

Political opposition in Iran to talks with US The street protests have been reinforced by criticism from hardline figures in Iran's Parliament. Mahmoud Nabavian, deputy head of parliament's Security Committee and a figure close to the Paydari Front, a small, ultra-conservative party, has publicly attacked several parts of the MoU. US, Iran announce initial 'peace deal' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Nabavian has reportedly objected to what he described as the lack of meaningful Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and the vagueness of any commitment on a US military withdrawal from the region. That criticism fits a broader pattern visible in recent media coverage that hardliners see the MoU as leaving too much unresolved, while giving away leverage and turning a wartime narrative of defiance into a peacetime narrative of compromise. Why the hardliners feel threatened Babak Dorbeiki, a London-based political analyst and former official at Iran's Strategic Research Center, told DW that the backlash is about far more than disagreement over diplomatic wording. As he put it, "For the Paydari camp, this is no longer a tactical issue. It has become an existential one." Dorbeiki argues that the political atmosphere of negotiation does not benefit hardliners, who thrive off of confrontation. The war with the US has rallied many Iranians around the regime Image: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/REUTERS If the regime's legitimacy starts shifting away from ideological confrontation and toward state pragmatism, economic management and diplomacy, then the political currents built around permanent mobilization and securitization risk losing their relevance.