Has Pezeshkian pinned down Khamenei for accountability?

Masoud Pezeshkian is the first Iranian president to publicly acknowledge that his ministers were either chosen or approved by the Supreme Leader. Some argue this was a clever move to underscore Ali Khamenei’s accountability.

In his final address to the Parliament, before his cabinet was put to vote, Pezeshkian stressed that Khamenei had not only approved every proposed minister but had also personally urged at least one reluctant candidate to join.

He insisted that every single minister had been vetted by the Intelligence Ministry and the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards and could get a vote of confidence for two of his most controversial ministers, the 'reformist' Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi and Ahmad Meydari, without much trouble. The final vote count was a serious blow to the ultra-hardliners who had supported Saeed Jalili in the elections.

Many interpret Pezeshkian’s remarks as a deliberate surrender of presidential authority, reducing himself to a mere executor of Khamenei’s policies and orders. Critics have labeled him the "first minister" for Khamenei, arguing that he has undermined the constitutional powers granted to the presidency.

Hamid Aboutalebi, a former diplomat and adviser to Hassan Rouhani in a tweet described Pezeshkian’s situation as winning the “battle” with the Parliament and losing the “war” to uphold “constitutionalism” and the “republic”.

However, some pundits and supporters believe that Pezeshkian’s candid admission of “coordinating” everything with Khamenei might be part of a larger strategy. They argue that by openly involving the Supreme Leader, Pezeshkian ensures that Khamenei will share the burden of criticism if the ministers fail to address the country’s critical situation.

An observer in Tehran also told Iran International, “He outmaneuvered the ultra-hardliners by using their own tactics against them. Hardliners have long accused their political opponents of defying Khamenei’s wishes to discredit them. With his shrewd speech, Pezeshkian turned the tables, putting Paydari Party lawmakers and their allies in the very position they’ve often used to attack others.”

“Ultra-hardliner’s opposition to his ‘national accord government’ and ministers who come from various political factions, with Khamenei’s full blessing as he claimed, would only mean defying or undermining Khamenei,” he added.

Netizens have also widely taken to X and other social media platforms to comment in favor or against Pezeshkian’s unprecedented public disclosure of the extent of Khamenei’s role in administrative affairs.

“It’s not fair that the Leader always interferes in the selection of ministers and the head of the government is blamed for their possible failures,” one of the tweets in support of Pezeshkian’s move read. “Pezeshkian has put pressure on parallel [state] institutions with this move to cooperate with the administration rather than pushing cogs in the government’s wheel as they did to Rouhani’s government,” the X user added.

Another netizen surmised that Pezeshkian’s move could also help prevent military bodies from “throwing spanners in his works”. “And everyone thinks he is saying these things naively,” the netizen remarked.

Some have also described Pezeshkian’s seemingly impromptu remarks as “clever”. “We think that Pezeshkian is an idiot because of the way he behaves. But this guy knows how to kill without injuring,” another tweet argued.

Others have commented that Khamenei’s tacit support which Pezeshkian tried to bring to light has been imposed on him by “special and unique circumstances of the country” including the perceived danger to his authority from ultra-hardliners who declare obedience to him but have secret plans for his succession.