IRGC Seizes Control of Iran Following Leadership Deaths

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has taken a dominant role in Iran's wartime decision-making after a joint U.S.-Israeli attack killed IRGC head Mohammad Pakpour and coincided with the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. To prevent a leadership vacuum, the IRGC implemented a decentralization strategy that delegates authority three ranks down to ensure immediate succession.

This institutional shift has driven a regional campaign of drone and missile strikes, including an attack on Turkey on Wednesday. While the IRGC maintains internal security to prevent domestic uprisings, the decentralized command structure has led to military miscalculations, including strikes on civilian targets in Gulf monarchies.

The organization's influence now extends across the state's military, economic, and nuclear programs. This grip is reinforced by the current political leadership, as President Masoud Pezeshkian and Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf are both former IRGC members. Ahmad Vahidi, the new head of the IRGC, now attends every high-ranking meeting to ensure the survival of the revolutionary system.