All articles tagged with #irgc
Senior Iranian security officials were photographed wearing smartwatches, sparking a debate over basic security discipline. Critics argue such devices allow tracking by adversaries like Israel, which has previously exploited electronic lapses to target commanders. The incident highlights ongoing tensions within Iran’s leadership regarding intelligence failures and the need for stricter protocols.
Iranian authorities have deployed approximately 51,000 security personnel across major cities, including Tehran, in response to resurfacing student protests and retiree demonstrations. The crackdown follows a '100% readiness' order for the IRGC and Basij, coinciding with a new compulsory hijab directive and severe economic instability. While Fox News highlights the visible military buildup and phone searches, the NCRI emphasizes deepening internal regime infighting and liquidity growth of 54.4%. The Jerusalem Post details specific campus confrontations, noting that Basij members threatened students with violence during gatherings at Allameh Tabataba'i University. These events occur against a backdrop of a record-low rial and ongoing indirect US-Iran negotiations.
Iran’s IRGC issued an open letter urging Americans to vote out the Trump administration, claiming the US has failed its war objectives. The move coincides with renewed diplomatic efforts and a sharp divergence in assessments of the conflict’s status between Washington and Tehran.
Iran’s IRGC claims to have seized a second US underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz, a move Washington denies. This incident coincides with Tehran’s rejection of a US-led ceasefire proposal and renewed threats to keep the strait closed, despite diplomatic efforts at the UN.
Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the IRGC's Shahid Sajjad Operational Headquarters, was killed on Wednesday during a joint security operation in Saravan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The raid, conducted by the IRGC, Intelligence Ministry, and police, targeted an armed cell in the Jihadabad area near the Pakistan border. Iranian authorities reported that five militants were killed and others arrested, though no group has claimed responsibility. This incident marks the third major security operation in the region within a month, following deadly clashes in late August and September 12. While state media frames the events as counter-terrorism efforts, local rights groups and state-affiliated outlets offer conflicting accounts regarding casualties and the nature of the confrontations, highlighting persistent instability in the majority Sunni province.
Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad Operational Base in Saravan, was killed during a security operation in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province on Wednesday. The clash, which took place near the Pakistan border, resulted in the death of five armed men and the arrest of others, according to Iranian state media. This incident follows a series of violent confrontations in the region over the past month, highlighting persistent instability in the area.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it is prepared for a long-term war and would expand the war's geography and weaponry if the U.S. resumes attacks, signaling a willingness to escalate amid ongoing regional security concerns and diplomatic maneuvering.
The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC designated BitBank, an Iranian crypto exchange controlled by Babak Zanjani, for moving hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) between June and July. The Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority has been using BitBank to route payments collected from vessel tolls in Bitcoin to the Iranian regime since June, as part of Operation Economic Outcast. The designation also targets Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company and three executives linked to BitBank, illustrating a broader crackdown on Iran’s digital assets-based sanctions evasion network.
The U.S. Treasury designated Tehran-based BitBank and its software developer Pishtaz Simorgh for moving hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and handling payments routed through Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority, which charges tankers $1–$2 million for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The sanctions freeze BitBank’s assets and threaten foreign firms that process its transactions, signaling that Iran’s crypto infrastructure is within OFAC’s reach. The Hormuz tolls have increasingly used BitBank to pass collected funds to regime entities, though OFAC did not publish any wallet addresses.
The U.S. military destroyed two Iranian small boats after the IRGC attempted to seize a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel patrolling the Strait of Hormuz; CENTCOM confirmed the incident and said the drone remains under U.S. control, while Iranian media reported missing fishermen, highlighting ongoing tensions as shipping in the strait continues under U.S. protection.
A Sunni cleric, Molavi Yousef Gorgij, was assassinated outside his Zahedan home by unidentified gunmen. Authorities say he worked to counter divisive elements, and no group has claimed responsibility. The IRGC also condemned the killing of a Kurdish cleric in West Azerbaijan by what it called Zionist-American separatists, claiming such attacks aim to undermine Shia-Sunni unity, a pattern linked to a recent regional spike in violence.
An oil tanker named El Gaia (Panamanian-flagged) exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s IRGC via Fars. Indian authorities say 13 of 14 crew were rescued with one missing; Oman’s authorities are coordinating SAR efforts as this remains a developing story, with prior claims from Trump that all Hormuz mines had been removed.
Senior Sunni cleric Molavi Yusef Gorgij was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in southeastern Iran. IRNA quoted a local governor saying Gorgij “was active in the fight against divisive elements and Zionism,” suggesting a pro-government stance in a developing security story.
A NYT report says Iran's leadership is split, with hard-liners sabotaging negotiations with the US as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains unseen; the July strikes on three ships were ordered by Hossein Taeb, illustrating the hard-liner push toward escalation, while the two factions clash over how to move past the stalemate, complicating any potential deal.
Overnight strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan damaged an A-10 Thunderbolt and about eight F-15s; the IRGC claimed responsibility. U.S. air defenses fired over 30 Patriot missiles during the attack. The strike followed U.S. actions against Iranian tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, forming part of a broader Iran–U.S. retaliation cycle in the region.