Le Figaro: A coup attempt to sideline Khamenei was foiled by Ali Larijani
In an unprecedented dramatic development, the French Le Figaro newspaper has revealed sensational details about a political coup attempt inside the top of Iran’s power pyramid, aimed at sidelining Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and preventing him from managing the crisis of popular protests that swept the country last January.
According to the report, the conspiracy crystallized on the night between January 7 and 8, just 24 hours before the height of the bloody protests that killed thousands of protesters.
The initiative was led by former President Hassan Rouhani, along with prominent figures in his government, including former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as well as influential clerics in the holy city of Qom and a number of leaders close to the Revolutionary Guards.
The main goal, according to the sources, was to distance Khamenei from the circle of decisive decision in managing the crisis, however the coup attempt failed miserably, after it was met with a categorical rejection from Ali Larijani, the prominent conservative figure appointed by Khamenei last August as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
According to the report, the current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was deliberately kept in the dark to prevent the leak of information.
Once the plot was discovered, authorities placed both Rouhani and Zarif under house arrest for days, and a number of reformist figures close to them were temporarily detained.
Since then, Larijani, (67), has been managing the country’s hottest issues, most notably the suppression of recent bloody protests and the containment of pockets of internal resistance.
He also oversees coordination with Iran’s strategic allies, such as Russia, Qatar, and Oman, and manages indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.
In addition, Larijani is preparing comprehensive contingency plans to run the state in the event of a potential military conflict with Washington.
