A sharp glance from Iran's Foreign Minister at the funeral was caught by the media: chilling indeed!

On July 3, the farewell ceremony for Khamenei was held at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran. Iranian President Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Kalibaf, Foreign Minister Araghchi, and others attended the ceremony.

It was during the live broadcast of this funeral that a single detail ignited public outrage. The live camera captured Foreign Minister Araghchi staring directly at Parliament Speaker Kalibaf. "His gaze was locked firmly on the Islamic Parliament Speaker Kalibaf nearby," with eyes "cold and intensely scrutinizing." Analysts remarked, "His stare was like a nail driven into another core figure of power."

A Reuters correspondent stationed in Iran managed to capture that fleeting moment only after zooming in with a telephoto lens from the third row. He was looking at Kalibaf’s nape.

Kalibaf at the time was bowing his head, turning wooden prayer beads between his fingers. A silver emblem of the Revolutionary Guard was pinned at the collar of his black robe—still not removed. Araghchi wore a dark gray suit with a tie, half-turned, his eyes glancing over President Pezeshkian’s shoulder and lingering on Kalibaf’s back for about three seconds before shifting away. Kalibaf didn’t turn around. Just before the camera cut away, we saw his hand briefly pause while turning the beads, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

To understand the weight of that gaze, one must first look beneath the surface of these two individuals.

Kalibaf, born in 1961, served as a pilot in the Revolutionary Guard Air Force during the Iran-Iraq War. He rose alongside Suleimani, part of the same old guard. He successively led large infrastructure companies under the Revolutionary Guard, served as Mayor of Tehran for 12 years, and has been re-elected twice since being elected Speaker in 2020. He is a genuine core figure within the conservative establishment, backed by the Revolutionary Guard and military-industrial elites.

Araghchi is one year younger than Kalibaf, but his path could not be more different. A career diplomat with a PhD in politics from the University of Kent, UK, he has spent over three decades working on nuclear negotiations and foreign affairs involving Europe and the U.S., never leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since joining in 1989. In 2015, when the Iran nuclear deal was finalized, he was one of the chief Iranian negotiators. In August 2024, after President Pezeshkian was elected, he appointed Araghchi as Foreign Minister. During the parliamentary vote, conservative MPs led by Kalibaf specifically questioned him: “Will you compromise too much in negotiations with the U.S.?”

One represents the civilian bureaucracy and pragmatic diplomacy; the other stands for the Revolutionary Guard and the hardline conservative faction. Their ideological differences were previously suppressed under the supreme authority of Khamenei. But with Khamenei gone, that lid has now been lifted.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869835695139843/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.