Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reportedly taken sweeping control over critical state functions, effectively sidelining President Masoud Pezeshkian and plunging the country into a deepening political deadlock. Reports from Iran International indicate the elite military force has blocked key presidential appointments and restricted access to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, raising urgent questions about who holds real power in Tehran.
The IRGC’s grip tightened after it rejected Pezeshkian’s attempt to appoint a new intelligence minister last Thursday. Commander Ahmad Vahidi intervened directly, insisting that under wartime conditions, all sensitive positions must be managed by the Revolutionary Guard until further notice. Candidates like former Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan were dismissed outright, leaving the president’s authority visibly eroded.
Compounding the crisis, a military council of senior IRGC officers now controls access to Mojtaba Khamenei, whose condition and whereabouts remain unclear since he assumed a key role following the reported death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pezeshkian’s repeated requests for urgent meetings with the Supreme Leader have gone unanswered, with government reports on Iran’s situation failing to reach the top leadership.
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Analysts view this as the culmination of a long-standing trend rather than an abrupt shift.
“It was always a matter of when, not if, the IRGC was going to step forward even more,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He emphasized that Pezeshkian’s sidelining reflects the limited independent authority the president has historically wielded.
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Internal fractures are also surfacing within the leadership circle. A powerful security figure, Ali Asghar Hejazi, faces pressure for removal from Mojtaba Khamenei’s inner circle due to his opposition to hereditary succession, warning that it would cede total control to the IRGC and dismantle civilian institutions.
Beyond Iran’s borders, the IRGC’s ascendancy stokes fears of a more confrontational stance. With U.S.-Iran negotiations faltering and Tehran’s willingness to compromise in doubt, the military’s dominance could fuel further regional escalation. Recent U.S. Navy actions, including the interception of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz after a six-hour standoff, underscore the mounting tensions.
The economic fallout adds another layer of strain. Divisions within Iran’s leadership over military strategy, particularly disruptions to vital routes like the Strait of Hormuz, threaten to exacerbate the country’s already fragile financial state.
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