Rising tensions between the Pezeshkian administration and Iran’s military leadership have pushed the president into a “complete political deadlock,” with the Revolutionary Guard effectively assuming control over key state functions, informed sources told Iran International.
The rise of Mojtaba Khamenei is not an unexpected deviation within the Islamic Republic—it is the logical outcome of a system carefully engineered over nearly four decades by Ali Khamenei.
Jihad Nasr spent decades at the center of Islamic Republic projects spanning water, housing and energy, as well as nuclear-linked construction and overseas ventures, as a state-backed network built under reformist-era politics dug deep into Iran’s infrastructure economy.
Serious disagreements have emerged between Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and IRGC chief-commander Ahmad Vahidi over how to manage the war and its damaging impact on people’s livelihoods and the economy, sources with knowledge of the matter told Iran International.
Former Iranian diplomats are warning that the war between Iran, the United States and Israel could fundamentally reshape the Middle East’s security order, with some predicting a prolonged conflict and deeper regional instability.
Some Tehran commentators say any US attempt to seize Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf could play directly into the IRGC’s long-standing strategy of capturing American troops for leverage.
Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council under direct pressure from senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including newly installed IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi, according to informed sources.
Iran’s economy is no longer merely experiencing high inflation; it is exhibiting the structural symptoms of a nation losing faith in its own currency and facing a shift in its monetary regime.
A foundational figure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr’s rise signals not a shift, but a moment of clarity — the same hardline system, now accelerating and more visible than ever.
Remarks by Donald Trump suggesting backchannel contacts with a figure inside Iran’s government have stirred intense political debate in Tehran.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf may soon be called a pragmatist. That would be a mistake.
Iranian officials and commentators are increasingly portraying control of the Strait of Hormuz not just as a strategic advantage but as a financial asset that could help offset the costs of war.
Iranian state media continued issuing warnings against the United States even after President Donald Trump said Monday that the two countries had held “constructive” talks—and that he was therefore postponing planned strikes on Iran’s power grid.
Whether real or not, President Donald Trump’s statement that Iran has reached out for talks is already having an impact: fueling mistrust within Tehran leadership while easing tensions in global oil markets, even as Iranian officials deny any such contact.
The assassination of Ali Larijani has opened a rare gap at the center of Iran’s security system, raising immediate questions about who can replace him and whether anyone can perform the same role.
The Israeli killing of Ali Larijani marks another blow to the Islamic Republic’s capacity for coordination, weakening an already fragmented system and raising the risk of miscalculation under pressure.
Authorities in Tehran have issued sweeping warnings ahead of Iran’s annual fire festival, Chaharshanbeh Suri, framing the centuries-old celebration as a potential flashpoint for unrest during wartime.
In a normal year, Iranian newspapers would now be filled with stories celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year beginning March 20. But with war raging across Iran, front pages are instead dominated by headlines about security and survival.
The mystery surrounding Iran’s new supreme leader may reveal more about the Islamic Republic’s power structure and the role of the Revolutionary Guards than Mojtaba Khamenei himself, analysts said on the Eye for Iran podcast, as Khamenei Jr remains unseen.
As Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public message was delivered Thursday following days of absence, Iranian newspapers and semi-independent websites moved to reinforce his image as a wartime leader.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in the first message attributed to him, called for continued military resistance and said the Strait of Hormuz should remain a tool of pressure, even as questions persist about his health and whereabouts.
Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei inherits not merely his father’s office but also the constitutional ambiguities and political compromises that accompanied Ali Khamenei’s own controversial elevation nearly four decades earlier.