Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly the target of a coup attempt within the ruling system, led by former President Hassan Rouhani, shortly before the outbreak of the crackdown against protests on the nights of January 8 & 9, when unrest in Iran peaked.
According to several informed Iranian sources interviewed by the French newspaper ‘Le Figaro,’ on the night of January 7, Rouhani led the effort alongside figures from his former government, including former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as well as clerics from Qom and figures close to the IRGC.
A source familiar with the matter told the newspaper the goal was to remove Khamenei from the decision-making process during the crisis. However, that attempt failed because it did not receive support from Ali Larijani, who was appointed last August as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, according to ‘Le Figaro.’
President Masoud Pezeshkian was kept out of the loop to prevent the plan from being exposed, the report said. After it was uncovered, Rouhani and Zarif were allegedly placed under several days of house arrest, and reformist figures close to them were temporarily detained.
This information came as Iranian officials confirmed that Larijani had been tasked with running the country just over a month prior, in the event of any harm befalling Khamenei, according to The New York Times. Since then, the 67-year-old Larijani has effectively been running the country.
