Iranian president denies resignation threats amid political tensions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has publicly denied reports that he threatened to resign many times. A senior cleric, Mohammad Bagher Kharazi, claimed Pezeshkian had threatened to quit 28 times. Reports also said he sent a resignation letter in May because he felt excluded from key decisions on security and foreign policy. Pezeshkian rejected all of this. He said he would only announce a resignation formally if he ever decided to leave. He also denied any serious disagreements with Supreme Leader Khamenei or the armed forces, saying his government was fully coordinated with military leadership. The stories became front-page news in Iran. Pezeshkian said the reports were designed to create division inside Tehran's leadership during a tense period of talks with the United States over the Strait of Hormuz.