Why Pezeshkian revealed his disagreement with Khamenei on US talks?

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian’s Sunday remarks about his disagreement with Ali Khamenei over US negotiations have fueled speculation about his growing frustration with his role.

“I personally believed it would be better to negotiate [with the US], but the Supreme Leader said we will not talk with the US. So I said we would not negotiate with the US. It was done and over with, it was done and over with,” Pezeshkian said, his tone possibly reflecting frustration, during a speech in Parliament on Sunday. He was attending the session as lawmakers debated the impeachment of his economy minister, Abdolnaser Hemmati.

This marks the first time an Iranian president, while still in office, has openly acknowledged a significant policy disagreement with Khamenei on a matter of dire national importance.

At a press briefing on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei emphasized that Pezeshkian’s remarks were clear and meant that his government would adhere to "policies ordained by the top officials of the country"—a phrase commonly understood to refer to Khamenei.

A mission derailed?

When the reform-leaning Pezeshkian was unexpectedly allowed to run in the June snap presidential election, many speculated that his candidacy was intended to facilitate negotiations with the US while also serving as a scapegoat if the talks failed.

"Pezeshkian was supposed to be the president who negotiated with the US," political commentator Sahand Iranmehr wrote on X, arguing that after Trump’s election, Iran’s real decision-makers reversed course. According to Iranmehr, Pezeshkian’s speech in Parliament reflected a leader whose mission had been completely erased—a man who now appears aimless, sidelined, and even ashamed.

There are also some speculations that Pezeshkian’s candid admission of his disagreement with Khamenei was a deliberate—perhaps desperate—attempt to shift responsibility for the consequences of refusing negotiations onto the Supreme Leader himself.

By publicly acknowledging his stance, Pezeshkian may have sought to make it clear that if the economic and political crisis worsens, it will be Khamenei and the hardliners opposed to negotiations rather than his government who should bear the blame.

Fallout from Pezeshkian’s admission

On Sunday, the hardline-dominated Parliament voted to remove Pezeshkian's reformist economy minister. Hours later, he also lost his strategic affairs deputy, Mohammad-Javad Zarif, a figure despised by hardliners for advocating diplomacy with the US.

In an X post, Zarif announced his resignation, stating that he was stepping down on the "advice" of Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. Pezeshkian has yet to officially accept his resignation.

Due to the sensitivity of the issue, most politicians and commentators in Iran have refrained from directly commenting on Pezeshkian’s remarks. Instead, they have either quoted him verbatim or expressed disappointment in vague terms.

However, ordinary Iranians—many posting anonymously on social media or sending recorded messages to Iran International TV—have been far more direct in their criticism and many say he should resign now that he has realized he has no power to deliver his election promises, including resolving the issue of sanctions through direct talks with the US.

“It was you who mocked [Saeed] Jalili [in election debates] saying nothing could be done unless sanctions were lifted. Now you are saying you wanted to negotiate but will not do so because Ali Khamenei says no,” one of the angry citizens said in a recorded messages sent to Iran International.

Others who had hoped Pezeshkian would break the deadlock over sanctions expressed deep disillusionment. A businessman in Tehran, speaking anonymously to Iran International, said voting for Pezeshkian had been "the last chance" for him and many others who had hoped change could come through elections.

"With the possibility of sanctions worsening due to Khamenei’s obstinacy, things that are already bad could spiral into something much worse. When all hope is lost, a countdown to the public’s complete disillusionment with the regime will begin, possibly in the next few months," he warned.

Khamenei’s history of blocking US negotiations

Khamenei has a long history of obstructing presidents who sought negotiations with the US. However, his stance has not always been absolute. While he denied permission to Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, he allowed secret talks with US officials in Oman from 2013-2015 that resulted in the JCPOA nuclear deal.

“Rafsanjani advocated talks with the US but was not given permission. Neither did Khatami. Mahmoud [Ahmadinejad] was allowed but he wasn’t taken seriously [by the other side]. Then there was Rouhani who managed to make the nuclear deal but denied permission to continue. Raisi tried secretly for three years but failed. And Pezeshkian said today that he wants negotiations but [is forbidden]… and the story will continue,” wrote Ghorbanali Salavatian, a reformist public figure and Iran-Iraq War veteran, in an X post.