Iran's IRGC generals, not just Mojtaba Khamenei, run country: Report
What's the story
After the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike on February 28, a power vacuum was left at the top. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named his successor but doesn't hold the same clout as his father. Instead, a small group of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders now steers decision-making in Iran.
Power shift
'Hardened band of brothers' now run Iran
The New York Times reported that a "hardened band of brothers," whose "seminal experience was the brutal, eight-year war between Iran and Iraq that began in 1980," is now running Iran. According to the report, these men are among the hardest-line figures in the country, "militants" committed to both perpetuating the Islamic revolution and employing harsh methods to repress dissent. Their shared backgrounds and careers have kept Tehran stable despite political upheavals.
Leadership
Key figures in new power structure
The NYT identified several key figures in this new power structure. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the 64-year-old Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and former Guards' air force commander, is now leading Iranian negotiations with the United States. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a hard-liner and former deputy interior minister, was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in March.
Power players
More on the key players
Ahmad Vahidi, a former intelligence officer and decorated general, took over the Guards in March. He was previously Iran's defense minister and interior minister. Mohammad Ali Jafari, a two-star general and former military adviser to the former supreme leader, is credited with developing the "mosaic strategy" of decentralized command. Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has been head of Iran's judiciary since 2021 and is known for his harsh crackdown on dissent.
Intelligence chief
Hossein Taeb remains influential in Iran
Hossein Taeb, a Shiite Muslim cleric and former head of the Basij militia, was the Guards' intelligence chief from 2009 to 2022. Despite losing his top intelligence post in 2022, he remains influential in Iran. The NYT report noted that Taeb is believed to be close to Mojtaba Khamenei due to their shared history in the Habib Battalion during the Iran-Iraq war.