JUST IN: IRGC Sidelines Its Own President In Major Turn Of Events

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is tightening its grip on the country’s leadership, sidelining the civilian government and moving closer to direct control, according to a report published Tuesday by Iran International.

The report says the IRGC has blocked key appointments by President Masoud Pezeshkian and set up what sources described as a security cordon around Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, effectively restricting access to the center of power.

The elite military force has “assumed control over key state functions,” the outlet reported, as tensions between the presidency and Iran’s security apparatus deepen.

“It was always a matter of when, not if, the IRGC was going to step forward even more 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.

Pezeshkian has hit a “complete political deadlock” as the standoff between his administration and military leadership intensifies, according to the report.

The reported shift could carry major consequences beyond Iran. Analysts warn that a more powerful IRGC would likely take a harder line against Washington, reduce any willingness to compromise in negotiations, and increase the risk of further military escalation across the region. With U.S.-Iran talks already faltering, the developments are raising fresh questions about who is actually making decisions inside the regime.

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“But it’s a mistake to assume this is some sort of coup,” Ben Taleblu said. “This has been the process in Iran for years now, as the regime has chosen conflict over cooperation and emboldened its security forces at every juncture.”

The power struggle came into focus when Pezeshkian’s effort to appoint a new intelligence minister collapsed under pressure from IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi. Sources told Iran International that all proposed candidates, including former Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan, were rejected.

Vahidi reportedly argued that under wartime conditions, all critical and sensitive positions should be selected and managed directly by the Revolutionary Guard until further notice.

“By any standard, Vahidi is considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite, and his rise is a warning that Tehran’s war machine now calls the shots,” Lisa Daftari, a foreign policy analyst and journalist, told Fox News Digital.

Under Iran’s system, the president typically nominates an intelligence minister only after securing approval from the supreme leader. But with Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition and whereabouts unclear in recent weeks, the IRGC appears to be acting with limited civilian oversight.

Mojtaba Khamenei (Wiki Commons)

According to the report, Pezeshkian has repeatedly sought an urgent meeting with Khamenei but has been unable to establish contact.

Instead, a “military council” made up of senior IRGC officers is said to control access to the supreme leader, preventing government reports from reaching Mojtaba and isolating him from the elected government.

Analysts say the situation reflects a longer-running trend. The Revolutionary Guard has steadily expanded its influence over Iran’s political system, economy, and national security for years.

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Ben Taleblu said Pezeshkian’s apparent sidelining should not be viewed as a dramatic break from the past, arguing the president never held significant independent authority.

“Those who worry about Pezeshkian’s potential sidelining need to consider what he realistically was or wasn’t able to do mere months ago when the regime slaughtered 40,000 Iranians in the streets,” he said.

Pezeshkian, elected in 2025 on promises of moderation and reform, has repeatedly been constrained by Iran’s clerical leadership and security establishment. The latest report suggests that pressure has intensified as the country faces growing external strain and internal uncertainty.

The report also highlights internal friction within the regime. Ali Asghar Hejazi, a senior security official in the supreme leader’s office, is reportedly being pushed out by some of Mojtaba Khamenei’s allies after opposing his potential succession.

Hejazi warned members of the Assembly of Experts that Mojtaba lacks the qualifications to become the supreme leader and that a hereditary succession would violate principles laid out by Ali Khamenei, according to the report.

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Hejazi also cautioned that installing Mojtaba would effectively hand the country to the Revolutionary Guard and sideline civilian institutions.

That warning increasingly appears to reflect current realities.

Created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend the regime, the IRGC has evolved into a dominant force that controls large portions of Iran’s economy, oversees its missile and nuclear programs, and exerts influence across nearly every branch of government.

Analysts say the latest developments suggest the IRGC is no longer operating behind the scenes but is openly emerging as the dominant force in Tehran.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.

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