Did Masoud Pezeshkian just signal a capitulation by the Iranian regime? Or is he just trying to claim turf in a power struggle among what’s left of the mullahcracy’s leadership?
Perhaps the answer is … yes. Iran’s president has been sidelined during the conflict as the IRGC seized power after the death of Ali Khamenei. Both the US and Israel left him alone while targeting other top-ranked regime officials, either to have a potential negotiating partner, a reflection of Pezeshkian’s impotence in the war, or both. With Trump threatening to wipe out what’s left of Iran’s energy infrastructure and B-52s now flying unopposed in Iran’s airspace, Pezeshkian offered a qualified “uncle” this afternoon:
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday his country had the “necessary will” to end the ongoing war with Israel and the United States, but is seeking guarantees that the conflict would not be repeated.
“We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression,” Pezeshkian said in a phone conversation with the president of the European Council, according to a statement from his office, reiterating a key demand of Tehran’s.
António Costa said in a social media post after that call that “the current situation in the Middle East is extremely dangerous” and urged Iran to de-escalate.
“To de-escalate the situation, I urged Iran to stop the unacceptable attacks on countries in the region and to engage positively on the diplomatic track, notably with the UN to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote on X.
Pezeshkian’s comments come on the same day that US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said that the next days of the Iran war will be “decisive” while refusing to rule out US ground forces playing a role in the conflict.
This raises some questions about what exactly Pezeshkian can offer, but more importantly, what he can actually deliver. The IRGC made it very clear in the first days of the war that Pezeshkian had been cut out of decision-making during the conflict after he briefly apologized for attacks on other Gulf states. Reportedly, as late as this week, Pezeshkian had complained that he’d become a “hostage” of the IRGC, unable to govern but forbidden from resigning his position:
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: THE “HOSTAGE PRESIDENT”
Senior Iran Analyst Dror Balazada (@DBalazada) reveals explosive leaked details of a deepening rift between President Pezeshkian and the Revolutionary Guards.
In a heated confrontation, Pezeshkian reportedly lashed out at the IRGC… pic.twitter.com/deSoSOIHe6
— C14 News Israel | EN (@c14israel) March 29, 2026
In a heated confrontation, Pezeshkian reportedly lashed out at the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, warning: “You are ruling the country like suicidals… if this continues for another three weeks, the economy will collapse”.
The sources reveal a presidency under total siege:
❗️The IRGC has seized control of all security, civil, and economic issues.
❗️Pezeshkian has been repeatedly blocked from resigning.
❗️The IRGC is sidelining the President from U.S. negotiations, fearing he will “give everything” to end sanctions.
“I feel like a hostage,” Pezeshkian reportedly claimed. “The only job I have is to read your crazy scripts”.
These leaks confirm the IRGC now holds absolute control, steering Iran toward an increasingly extreme and dangerous path.
How solid is this information? It certainly fits the available facts. Pezeshkian has been publicly sidelined, apparently even in the limited diplomacy that has taken place over the last few weeks. The US may be keeping lines open to Pezeshkian through Turkey and Pakistan, but the real talks seem to be going through former IRGC general and now parliament speaker Mohammed Ghalibaf. The most eye-popping part of this report is the claim that Pezeshkian has repeatedly asked to speak with Mojtaba Khamenei, but the IRGC refuses to allow him any contact with the Nepo Babytollah. That also fits the available facts, as the Russians admitted today that they haven’t been allowed to speak with him either, emphasis mine:
Ambassador Alexey Dedov said Iranian authorities have repeatedly indicated that Khamenei remains inside the country but is staying out of the public eye, according to an interview with RTVI, a Russian-language media outlet, as reported by TASS. Dedov also said he hasn’t spoken to Khamenei.
“As the Iranian leadership has repeatedly stated, the new leader is in Iran, but for understandable reasons, he refrains from appearing in public,” Dedov said.
Khamenei hasn’t appeared publicly since assuming his role on March 8, fueling speculations about his whereabouts and his health amid heightened regional tensions.
So if Pezeshkian has been sidelined to the point of being a Mojtaba-like cardboard cutout for the IRGC junta, is there any value in this statement? Perhaps. If the IRGC has decided that the regime is at risk of a collapse under more intense destruction, they may need Pezeshkian as a credible partner for peace negotiations. Technically, he’s the head of government in Iran, although the Supreme Leader is the head of state. The problem with Pezeshkian’s position, though, is that he clearly doesn’t hold any power unless he has somehow engineered a coup against the IRGC and seized control of the entire state apparatus. We have seen no evidence of that, though – so far, anyway.
Another potential reason for Pezeshkian to speak up may be to get the US and Israel to work directly through him in order to restore his position in the regime. He might want to create leverage by becoming the arbiter between Trump and the IRGC command, making himself indispensable for the inevitable off-ramp talks. That’s a dangerous game, of course, because the IRGC might just decide to ensure that Pezeshkian isn’t around any longer to toss spanners in the works, so to speak. At this point, though, Pezeshkian may think he has nothing left to lose, other than life as a miserable puppet for “suicidals.”
Either way, the odds of Pezeshkian being able to deliver on an off-ramp seem pretty low. Abbas Araghchi would be a more likely interlocutor, and he’s claiming that nothing’s happening at all:
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
We have not sent any response yet to the US 15-point proposal. I receive direct messages from Witkoff as before, but that does not mean we are conducting negotiations. pic.twitter.com/g5mGbKGZ7M
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 31, 2026
Even if Pezeshkian’s initiative has the IRGC’s blessing, though, what is the offer? So far, it’s just a promise to talk in exchange for guarantees that the US and Israel will agree to never attack Iran again. It’s hardly surprising that Iran has the “will” to agree on those terms; those have been the regime’s terms since the beginning. When Pezeshkian or any other Iranian leader agrees to negotiate on Donald Trump’s terms, that will be newsworthy … especially if it’s someone who can actually deliver on commitments.
Still, Pezeshkian’s statement indicates that the Iranians know how badly this war has gone, and how much worse it might get. It’s a blink, even if nothing else comes directly from it.
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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