Updated

Hardline newspaper Kayhan published an editorial criticizing parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf's role as Iran's lead negotiator in talks with mediators, raising questions in Tehran about internal divisions. The episode is notable because senior officials have said Ghalibaf was appointed to the negotiating role with Supreme Leader Khamenei's approval, making Kayhan's attack an implicit challenge to the leadership's own decision. The dispute highlights friction within Iran's political establishment over negotiation strategy at a sensitive moment in the US-Iran standoff.