In a letter to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Seddiqi requested to be relieved of his duties to focus on academic and religious teaching.
The Leader accepted his resignation, thanking him for 17 years of sermons in defense of the Islamic Republic and moral guidance.
Seddiqi’s resignation follows mounting criticism over a real estate controversy involving his family.
In 2025, it was revealed that a 4,200-square-meter orchard in Tehran’s upscale Ozgol district—owned by the Imam Khomeini Seminary, which Seddiqi oversees—had been transferred to a private company where his sons and daughter-in-law were board members.
Iran’s judiciary later confirmed the arrest of his son and daughter-in-law on financial charges, along with four others, though Seddiqi himself was not found culpable.
His continued presence at Friday prayers, particularly his appearance on July 18, drew sharp backlash from media and political figures. Conservative outlets labeled it “ill-timed” and “defiant.” Seddiqi had been under increasing pressure to step aside.
