All articles tagged with #irgc
Iranian state television aired a video claiming to track Barron Trump and alleging a $10 million bounty on him, including supposed details of his university and Secret Service protection; the claims could not be independently verified. The broadcast mirrors prior Iranian state-media provocations and comes amid ongoing tensions with the US, with the US Secret Service said to be reviewing the footage.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the war with the United States should end now from a position of power, praising Iran’s resilience amid intensified sanctions; talks are stalled, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and Iran’s economy faces inflation and contraction as hard‑line IRGC factions push for concessions while international actors urge diplomacy.
Iran’s hardline leadership is steering away from a primarily defensive, responding posture toward an offensive strategy aimed at pressuring the US, with plans for operatons on the enemy’s soil, expanded missile and drone capabilities, and greater use of proxies in Yemen and Iraq, all while maintaining leverage over the Strait of Hormuz amid stalled diplomacy and sanctions.
Iran reorganized its military and security leadership after wartime losses, installing veteran hardliners across the IRGC, Basij, Navy and national-security bodies, with Ahmad Vahidi elevated to IRGC command and Mohsen Rezaei taking the SNSC secretary post. The reshuffle also places the Basij under Hossein Taeb and signals a tighter, less generationally diverse decision-making circle, raising questions for US policymakers about potential room for compromise with Tehran.
ISW-CTP warns Iran would prefer to continue or escalate fighting with the United States and its regional partners unless its maximalist demands are granted (e.g., sanctions relief and control over the Strait of Hormuz), with the IRGC leadership under Major General Ahmad Vahidi likely to reject partial deals and prepare broader attacks and higher costs for the US, including potential preemptive moves and proxy coordination in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. Domestic economic distress and unrest could influence concessions, while regional tensions persist in Lebanon and Iraq and US-Iran diplomacy continues through backchannels.
Trump tells Fox News there is a direct backchannel with Iran's IRGC as a 60-day ceasefire expires, urging Iran to 'wave the white flag' while insisting Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon; he says there is no fixed timetable, talks bypass mediators, and notes broader Middle East tensions involving Oman, Israel and Hamas as U.S. stockpile concerns are downplayed.
As the US-Iran ceasefire nears its expiration, the Trump administration pursues backchannel talks with Iran’s IRGC while signaling there is no rush to end the conflict. Trump downplays concerns about the military stockpile, warns Oman against interference in the Strait of Hormuz, and reiterates that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains his top goal. Iran responds with a $30,000 bounty on U.S. troops, and Gulf states’ alignment against Tehran suggests deeper isolation and a fragile path toward any lasting peace.
Amid the ongoing Iran war, reports say the Trump administration pursued a secret backchannel with Iran’s IRGC via Iraqi Kurdish President Barzani to test whether IRGC leadership would support diplomacy ahead of an MOU; intermediaries indicated IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi backed talks, but security concerns prevented them from materializing. The broader situation features continued sanctions pressure, threats to U.S. troops, and carrier redeployments as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz persist.
Trump administration officials used Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, as a direct link to Iran's Revolutionary Guards to test alignment on a potential deal after Iranian negotiators appeared not to be empowered; Barzani contacted IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who confirmed IRGC support for negotiations, and a proposed Erbil meeting never happened due to security concerns, illustrating the challenge of identifying decision-makers in Iran as the IRGC consolidates influence.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed six veteran security and intelligence figures to senior posts, including Mohsen Rezaie as national security chief and Hossein Taeb returning to head the Basij. Analysts say the reshuffle marks a shift from a cautious deterrence approach to a more aggressive, security-dominated leadership that prioritizes external confrontation with the US and tighter internal control through intelligence networks.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed six veteran commanders across the IRGC, Basij, and Armed Forces — including Ahmad Vahidi as IRGC chief and Mohsen Rezaei as SNSC secretary — signaling a consolidation of trusted insiders to strengthen deterrence, readiness for offensive operations, and a wartime posture for a prolonged confrontation.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei appointed six top military commanders, formalizing a wartime leadership structure: Ali Abdollahi becomes chief of staff (replacing the late Abdolrahim Mousavi), Kioumars Heydari as his deputy; Ahmad Vahidi as IRGC commander-in-chief with Mostafa Izadi as deputy; Rear Admiral Ali Azmaei as IRGC Navy commander; Hossein Taeb as Basij commander. The decrees settle several key vacancies created by US-Israeli strikes but leave major IRGC intelligence posts and two cabinet-level slots without permanent chiefs, underscoring persistent gaps in Iran's security leadership amid ongoing conflict.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei named Mohsen Rezaee, a veteran IRGC commander, as SNSC secretary and his representative, part of a broader wartime reshuffle that also elevates Ali Abdollahi to chief of staff, Ali Ozmaei to head the IRGC Navy, and Ahmad Vahidi to IRGC commander-in-chief, signaling a tightening of internal security and policy coordination as Tehran confronts the US-Israel front.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued decrees appointing six senior officials to lead the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the predecessors were killed in Israeli-US strikes. Ali Abdollahi was named chief of staff with Kioumars Heydari as his deputy; Ahmad Vahidi became IRGC commander with Mostafa Izadi as deputy; Ali Ozmaei was installed as IRGC Navy head and Hossein Taeb as Basij commander. Vahidi and Ozmaei had been acting heads. The moves were followed by appointments of Mohsen Rezaee to represent Iran on the Supreme National Security Council and Mohammed Bagher Zolghadr as a political advisor, signaling a deeper IRGC role in politics.
ISW-CTP’s update portrays Iran pressing for new US concessions before “reopening” the Strait of Hormuz, using messaging and force to signal continued control while hardliners led by IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi shape demands. Tehran is pushing a six-point package (blockade lifting, sanctions relief, withdrawal of forces, war reparations, released assets, and ceasing attacks on allies) and has floated a temporary transit route through Oman, signaling that reopening remains conditional. A missile strike on a UAE-affiliate tanker in the Strait shows Iran’s ongoing coercive tactics. The US blockade remains costly to Iran’s oil exports and economy, but Iran has not softened its maximalist position. Iranian aims, according to the update, include international recognition of strait control, degrading US capabilities, restoring deterrence, and dividing the US-Israel axis from Arab states, with the update noting a revised structure following the resumption of war.