Iran's Power Shifts to Revolutionary Guard Commanders as Supreme Leader Remains Absent
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Apr 23
Iran's Power Shifts to Revolutionary Guard Commanders as Supreme Leader Remains Absent
4 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 23
Iran's top leadership is now dominated by senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) following Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment as supreme leader.
With Mojtaba Khamenei absent from public view and recovering from injuries, IRGC figures Ahmad Vahidi, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, and Mohsen Rezaei are making key decisions.
This shift has sidelined civilian leaders and concentrated power among hardline military officials, raising questions about Iran's future direction amid ongoing conflict.
With Iran's new leader incapacitated, who truly has the authority to prevent a full-scale war?
Is the IRGC's collective rule a stable new order, or will internal power struggles soon fracture Iran?
Did the US 'decapitation' strategy accidentally create a more dangerous and unpredictable military leadership in Iran?
Are AI-generated videos of Iran's leader a new tool of statecraft or a sign of regime collapse?
Can mediators succeed when Iran’s de facto rulers publicly reject concessions sought by the United States?
How does the IRGC's reliance on oil smuggling complicate efforts to de-escalate the ongoing naval conflict?
The IRGC's 2026 Seizure of Power: Military Dominance and the Collapse of Civilian Rule in Iran
Overview
In early 2026, a devastating US-Israeli airstrike incapacitated Iran's Supreme Leader, creating a leadership vacuum that the IRGC swiftly exploited by establishing a military council and sidelining civilian authorities. Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi emerged as the dominant figure, steering Iran toward aggressive regional policies. The IRGC's decades-long rise as a parallel power enabled this takeover amid internal factional rifts and institutional decay. Resistance from clerical elites was crushed through purges and repression, while civilian governance was paralyzed. This militarized rule intensified economic hardship and social repression, fueled by international sanctions and isolation, and was reinforced by innovative AI-driven propaganda, marking a new era of authoritarian control and regional instability.