Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have effectively assumed control over key state functions amid rising tensions between the Pezeshkian administration and Iran’s military leadership, sources told Iran International.
As Iran continues to be under attack by the US and Israel, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly blocked presidential appointments and decisions, effectively sidelining the government from executive control.
Sources told Iran International that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s efforts to appoint a new intelligence minister last Thursday collapsed under direct pressure from IRGC chief of staff Ahmad Vahidi.
All proposed candidates, including Hossein Dehghan, were rejected.
Vahidi was said to have insisted that, given wartime conditions, all critical and sensitive leadership positions must be selected and managed directly by the IRGC until further notice.
Supreme Leader’s role
Under Iran’s political system, presidents have traditionally nominated intelligence ministers only after securing the Supreme Leader’s approval, who holds ultimate authority over key security portfolios.
However, with the whereabouts of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei unclear in recent weeks, the IRGC is now effectively blocking the president from advancing its preferred candidate, further consolidating its grip over the state’s security apparatus.
On Wednesday, 1 April, sources now quoted as saying that a “military council” composed of senior IRGC officers now exercises full control over the core decision-making structure, enforcing a security cordon around Mojtaba Khamenei and preventing government reports on the country’s situation from reaching him.
Where is Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei?
Speculation emerged regarding whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s health condition may be contributing to the current power dynamics.
A Russian ambassador recently said Mojtaba Khamenei is in Iran itself.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in the country but has been avoiding public appearances “for understandable reasons”, Russian ambassador to Iran Alexey Dedov told the RTVI news outlet, as per NDTV.
Mojtaba Khamenei replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s Supreme Leader after the latter was killed in US-Israeli strikes on 28 February.
