Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of the Iranian armed forces, blocked the presidential appointment of President Massoud Pezhekian and set up what sources described as a security cordon around Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, a report published Tuesday by Iran International said.
The IRGC has effectively assumed control of key state functions, the report claims.
“It’s always a question of when the IRGC will go further than it has in the last three decades,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
According to the report, Pezheskian has reached a “complete political deadlock” as tensions between his administration and the military leadership escalate.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the highest branch of the Iranian armed forces, has blocked the presidential appointment of President Massoud Pezhekian, a new report said.
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The reported changes could have consequences far beyond Iran.
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Analysts say a more powerful IRGC would mean a more confrontational Iran, less willing to compromise in negotiations with Washington and more willing to continue military escalation in the region. With US-Iran talks already faltering and uncertainty growing over whether Tehran will send negotiators to the next round of talks, the rise of the Revolutionary Guard raises new doubts about who is really making decisions in Iran and whether any civilian officials can still speak for the regime.
“But it’s wrong to assume that this is some kind of coup,” Ben Taleblu said. “This process has been going on in Iran for years now, as the regime has chosen conflict over cooperation and encouraged its security forces at every turn.”
Pezheskian’s recent attempt to appoint a new intelligence minister failed after direct pressure from IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, sources told Iran International, with all proposed candidates rejected, including former defense minister Hossein Deghan.
Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard march during a parade. The IRGC is designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. A large part of its work is to operate covertly outside Iran.
Wahidi reportedly stressed that in wartime situations, all critical and sensitive locations should be directly selected and managed by the Revolutionary Guard until further notice.
“By any standards, Vahidi is considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite, and his rise is a warning that Tehran’s war machine is now calling the shots,” foreign policy analyst and journalist Lisa Daftari told Fox News Digital.
Under Iran’s system, the president traditionally nominates an intelligence minister only after receiving approval from the supreme leader. But as Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition and whereabouts remain unclear in recent weeks, the IRGC appears to be operating increasingly without civilian oversight.
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RGC Commander Ahmad Wahidi reportedly stressed that in wartime situations, all critical and sensitive locations should be directly selected and managed by the Revolutionary Guards until further notice.
The report claims Pezheskian has repeatedly asked for an emergency meeting with Khamenei but has been unable to establish contact.
Instead, according to Iran International, a “military council” made up of senior IRGC officials now controls access to the center of power, preventing government reports from reaching Mojtaba and effectively separating it from the elected government.
Still, analysts say the reported power struggle reflects a longer trend in Iran, where the Revolutionary Guard has steadily expanded its influence over politics, the economy and national security.
Ben Taleblu argued that Pejeskian’s apparent sidelining should not be seen as a dramatic break from the past because the president has never exercised significant independent authority.
“Those who worry about Pezheshkian’s potential edge need to consider what he actually was or could not do when the regime killed 40,000 Iranians in the streets months ago,” he said.
Pezhekian, who was elected in 2025 on a promise of moderation and reform, has repeatedly found himself stymied by the security establishment and clerical leadership.
The latest report suggests that the dynamics have intensified dramatically as Iran faces increasing external pressure and internal uncertainty.
One of the most notable claims involved Ali Asghar Hejazi, a powerful security official within the Supreme Leader’s office.
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A banner showing Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is displayed in Tehran, Iran, March 14, 2026.
According to Iran International, some of Mojtaba Khamenei’s allies are now trying to push Hejazi out because he opposed Mojtaba succeeding his father.
The report said Hejazi warned members of the Assembly of Experts that Mojtaba lacked the qualifications to become supreme leader and that hereditary succession would violate the principles laid down by Ali Khamenei.
Hejazi reportedly warned that keeping Mojtaba in power would effectively hand the country over to the Revolutionary Guard and permanently sideline civil institutions.
That warning seems to foreshadow what is already happening.
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Analysts say the latest developments show that the IRGC is no longer operating behind the scenes, but is emerging as a major force openly in Tehran.
The Revolutionary Guard, created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the regime, has long evolved into more of a military force. It now controls major parts of Iran’s economy, oversees the country’s missile and nuclear programs, and has influence over nearly every branch of government.
Analysts say the latest developments show that the IRGC is no longer operating behind the scenes, but is emerging as a major force openly in Tehran.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.
Original article source: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard ousts the president as the military expands its grip
