The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has effectively taken control of key state functions amid rising tensions between the Pezeshki administration and Iran’s military leadership, sources told Iran International.
As Iran continues to be under attack from the US and Israel, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly blocked presidential appointments and decisions, effectively removing the government from executive control.
Sources told Iran International that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s efforts to appoint a new intelligence minister failed last Thursday under direct pressure from IRGC Chief of General Staff Ahmad Vahidi.
All proposed candidates, including Hossein Dehghan, were rejected.
Vahidi is said to have insisted that due to the conditions of war, all critical and sensitive leadership positions must be selected and managed directly by the IRGC until further notice.
The role of the supreme leader
Under Iran’s political system, presidents traditionally nominate intelligence ministers only after obtaining the approval of the Supreme Leader, who has ultimate authority over key security portfolios.
However, with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s whereabouts unclear in recent weeks, the IRGC is now effectively blocking the president from advancing his preferred candidate, further consolidating its control over the state’s security apparatus.
On Wednesday, April 1, the sources cited now said that a “military council” made up of senior IRGC officers now exercises full control over the main decision-making structure, enforcing a security cordon around Mojtaba Khamenei and preventing government reports on the situation in the country from reaching him.
Where is Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei?
There has been speculation whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s health may be contributing to the current power dynamic.
The Russian ambassador recently said that Mojtaba Khamenei is in Iran itself.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in the country but is avoiding public appearances “for obvious reasons,” Russia’s ambassador to Iran, Alexey Dedov, told RTVI news station, according to NDTV.
Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s Supreme Leader after he was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28.
