Iran's Assembly of Experts Faces Rare Internal Crisis Over US Nuclear Deal

A rare internal crisis erupted within Iran's Assembly of Experts after more than 60 of its 84 members issued an unusual statement opposing concessions in the nuclear deal memorandum with the United States. The statement called for upholding Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's "red lines," rejected compromises on the nuclear program, and demanded punishment for those responsible for the assassination of Ali Khamenei, including the US president and prime minister.

Within hours, the Assembly's leadership released a rare clarification criticizing the unauthorized publication of the statement outside official procedures and emphasized that only authorized bodies may represent the Assembly's positions. This public dispute drew criticism from ultra-conservative factions and revealed escalating internal power struggles at the highest levels of the Islamic Republic.

Typically a quiet body responsible for appointing and theoretically overseeing the Supreme Leader, the Assembly has become a battleground over issues such as negotiations with Washington, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the limits of compromise with the US. The controversy began when the majority of the Assembly members issued a detailed statement addressing the memorandum, the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon, nuclear negotiations, and retaliation against the US and Israel, an unprecedented intervention given the Assembly's usual rare formal meetings and ritualistic support for the leadership. The Assembly has also faced growing criticism following the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late leader, after his father's death during the war.