Nearly five months after Iran's ultraconservatives lost the country's presidential election to reformist-backed Masoud Pezeshkian, hardliners led by the Paydari Party are still trying to weaken the new government.
In the latest bid to strike a significant blow against President Pezeshkian, Kamran Ghazanfari, a member of the Paydari faction, issued a stern threat. He warned that if the president refuses to dismiss his strategic affairs vice president and former foreign minister, Javad Zarif, the ultraconservatives are determined to unseat Pezeshkian and push for a court sentence of at least 15 years in prison.
Paydari's opposition to Zarif appears to stem from allegations that his children hold US citizenship, which, in their view, disqualifies him from holding any high-profile position in Iran.
Reacting to the threats, three high-profile ‘reformist’ figures spoke to Khabar Online website and dismissed Paydari's threat as a "bluff." Nuclear physicist and occasional commentator Ahmad Shirzad dismissed Kamran Ghazanfari's remarks, stating that "statements from someone like Ghazanfari should not be taken seriously." He added that the ultraconservative lawmaker's pseudo-legal argument, citing the Sensitive Jobs Act, is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Former ‘reformist’ Roads Minister Ahmad Khorram recalled that Zarif had previously stepped down from the government under similar threats, only to return after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei indicated he had no objections to his presence in the government.
Khorram emphasized, "Pezeshkian is the system's last winning card. Everyone should unite to help him solve the country's problems. This is no longer a time for hostility and provocation."
Meanwhile, prominent cleric and ‘reformist’ politician Mohammad Ali Abtahi said that the Paydari Party is holding a grudge against the Pezeshkian government and warned that if they manage to get rid of Zarif, he will not be the last one to be targeted by such threats."
In another development, a reformist journalist, Ahmad Zeidabadi opined in a sarcastic comment that three problems will be solved if hardliners really send Pezeshkian's case to the court and manage to jail him.
"First, they'll spare Pezeshkian the ordeal of navigating a political minefield, allowing him to spend his remaining years in the comfort of a prison cell. Second, the citizens who voted for him will no longer face criticism from their compatriots. And third, with the regional crisis at its peak, maybe an ultraconservative government can tackle Iran’s problems more efficiently—so they might as well reveal the ‘savior’ they claim to have up their sleeve," Zeidabadi remarked.
Meanwhile, in a commentary on Rouydad24 website, Iranian journalist Davud Heshmati wrote that the Pezeshkian administration seems to be undecided between holding its own social base or bribing its political rivals.
Commenting on Pezeshkian's conciliatory approach toward the ultraconservatives, Heshmati argued that the president's "national reconciliation" agenda appears to be little more than a retreat as his political rivals advance.
Heshmati also noted that "Pezeshkian came to power in an election with minimal voter turnout, leaving his government vulnerable. To stabilize his administration, Pezeshkian must focus on strengthening his social base and stop his pattern of constant retreat."
Lately, Pezeshkian has appointed several hardline politicians as provincial governors and to other government posts, a move that has angered ‘reformist’ groups who backed him in the election against strong conservative rivals. Although the president says his decisions stem from principal of national unity, critics accuse him of making political concessions to hardliners, calling it horse trading.
Mohammad Mohajeri, a prominent commentator allowed to speak on state-controlled media said, "A faction of Pezeshkian’s rivals believes that if he truly supports the idea of national unity, he should appoint governors from the opposing faction in provinces where he received fewer votes. However, this could turn into a "melon peel" under his feet, potentially causing the government to slip and stumble."
"Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
"To the dear hostage families, I say: this is an important moment in the war. We will continue full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home," he added.
The Israeli military released drone footage it said showed the last moments of militant boss, caked in dust in a bombed-out house apparently severely wounded and attempting to throw a projectile at the camera.
Unverified graphic footage circulating on social media appeared to show a corpse roughly resembling Sinwar in a military tactical vest and headscarf with distinctive crooked teeth.
Israeli authorities said DNA and dental records analysis gleaned from the site and matched to records from Sinwar's over 20 years in Israeli prisons proved his identity.
Hamas has yet to confirm his death.
President Joe Biden said US intelligence had aided Israel to locate senior Hamas leaders, calling it a "good day".
Israel has had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7," Biden said in a statement.
"There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike," he added.
Sinwar was the architect of the October 7, 2023 attacks which killed around 1,100 Israelis - most of them civilians - and ensnared scores of hostages in a shock to Israeli security which has brought the region close to all-out war.
Iran's other armed allies in the region including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen joined the fight against Israel and the Islamic Republic itself has twice launched missile fusillades against the Jewish State.
The latest, on Oct.1, killed no Israelis and was repelled with US and Western aid. Israel has promised unspecified retaliation.
Sinwar succeeded Ismail Haniyeh - who was killed in a likely Israeli bombing of his guesthouse in Tehran in August - as the head of the group's political bureau, making him its highest ranking leader and de facto chief.
Iran's Supreme Leader this month blessed that attack as a justified act of resistance and emphasized the Islamic Republic's support for armed allies in the region like Hamas which have been confronting Israel for over a year.
US officials cited by domestic media outlets have pointed to hardline positions adopted by Sinwar as well as by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as obstacles to a negotiated ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel's offensive so far according to Gaza's health authorities, including 28 people in an Israeli strike on a shelter in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Iran connection
Sinwar played a pivotal role in building Hamas’s strategic alliance with Iran, according to Israeli and Western military analysts and officials.
The bloody crackdown by Iran's ally Syria starting in 2011 on militias and dissidents linked to the Muslim Brotherhood - the ideological movement from which Hamas hails - dented relation with Tehran which Sinwar helped repair.
Sinwar traveled to Iran on notable visit in 2012 in which he was photographed as part of a Hamas delegation in an audience with Khamenei and after which Hamas-Iran ties improved.
In footage released following Haniyeh's assassination, Khamenei's office depicted the slain leader introducing Sinwar as a veteran of Israel's prisons.
Iran’s assistance, frequently cited by Sinwar, was instrumental in building Hamas’s military strength.
In a speech the same year, Sinwar confirmed that Qassem Soleimani, the late senior Iranian paramilitary general, had reached out to Hamas's leadership and offered all means at Iran's disposal to aid their cause.
The October 7 attack was a culmination of Hamas’ evolution under Sinwar’s guidance from an organization viewed by Israel as preoccupied with administering Gaza to a fearsome attacker dedicated to altering the security balance in the region.
Those enhanced capabilities enabled by its alliance with Iran were on display as Hamas fighters launched a complex attack by land, air and sea while overrunning military installations with the aid of drones.