Hardline Iranian MPs seek to impeach Foreign Minister Araghchi

A group of hardline Iranian members of parliament has filed a request to begin impeachment proceedings against Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The trigger was his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff during the UN General Assembly last month. The step highlights internal disagreement in Iran's leadership over how, and whether, to continue negotiations with the United States to end the war.

Parliamentary presiding board member Mohammad Rashidi confirmed on Tuesday that the request had been registered in the parliamentary system, but had not yet been sent to the board or placed on the agenda.

The case against Araghchi

The initiators, led by Amirhossein Sabeti of the hardline Paydari Front, argue that the 22 September meeting with Witkoff was held without authorisation from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and without coordination with the Supreme National Security Council. Qatar acted as intermediary, and the talks focused on conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been a major obstacle in negotiations between Tehran and Washington since the war began in late February.

Sabeti cited "crossing red lines", "serious miscalculations" in political analysis and mishandling of the US file as the main grounds. Another signatory, Hosseinali Hajideligani, accused Araghchi of repeatedly helping to lower oil prices for the United States through targeted interviews.

Conflicting views

Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei directly contradicted the claim of missing authorisation. He said it had been agreed that Araghchi would convey Iran's conditions to intermediaries during the New York trip. Those conditions included the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade, the immediate transfer of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the war on all fronts. US President Donald Trump rejected the proposal.

Some lawmakers oppose the initiative. Ruhollah Lak Aliabadi said impeaching the foreign minister in wartime is not in the country's interest and could signal weakness to the enemy. Conservative figure Mansour Haghighatpour said: "You do not change saddles in wartime."

Araghchi's position appears secure for now. The foreign ministry has formally described him as a member of Iran's six-person decision-making team. A memorial service for his sister drew one of the largest gatherings of Iranian officials since the war began, though Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend.