Crisis in Iran: the president against the foreign minister in the shadow of the restoration of armaments

Disagreements in the Iranian leadership and extensive military reconstruction efforts are being recorded today (Friday) during the current ceasefire. Iranian President Massoud Pazkhian and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bakar Kalibaf want to fire Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi – due to his conduct during the negotiations with the US. At the same time, the Iranian army is working to locate weapons buried in the attacks, while the US administration is examining the continuation of its military and political measures against Tehran.

• President Pazkhian and Speaker of Parliament Kalibaf are considering the dismissal of Foreign Minister Arakchi due to his conduct in negotiations with the United States.
• According to a report on the opposition website “Iran International”, the two believe that Araqchi acted in the last two weeks as an assistant to the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Ahmed Vahidi – and not as a representative of the government.

• Pazkhian claimed to his associates that Arakchi did not properly inform him of the details of the talks and acted directly against Vahidi, who is defined in the report as the most powerful man in Iran.
• “I will fire him if this continues,” said the Iranian president in reference to the foreign minister’s activities.

• Iran is speeding up efforts to retrieve missiles and ammunition buried during the American and Israeli attacks across the country, the NBC network reported.
• The operations are carried out under rubble and in underground sites with the aim of restoring to Iran the ability to carry out attacks in the region, if the negotiation efforts fail.

• US officials estimate that Tehran is trying to re-establish its missile and UAV arrays, even after extensive attacks on the production and launch sites.
• Intelligence estimates indicate that Iran maintained a significant portion of its missile arsenal by dispersing and hiding the weapons before and during the war.

• The commander of the United States Army’s Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, briefed President Trump tonight for 45 minutes – on new operational plans for strikes against Iran, according to two senior American officials.
• The briefing signals that Trump is seriously considering resuming hostilities with Iran, either to try to break the deadlock in negotiations or to deliver a final blow before the war ends.

• A similar briefing was given to Trump on February 26, two days before the US and Israel launched a war against Iran.
• One source close to Trump said that this briefing contributed to Trump’s decision to go to war at the time.