Iran’s Internal Fracture: The President Helpless Against the IRGC “Deep State”
Tehran is reeling not just from external strikes, but from deep internal fractures that are beginning to split the nation apart.
President Masoud Pezeshkian recently slammed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for its policy of "escalating regional tensions" through attacks on neighboring countries. He warned that without an immediate ceasefire, Iran's economy faces total collapse within the next few weeks, leaving the people's livelihoods hanging by a thread.
Pezeshkian demanded that executive control and national management be returned to the civil government—a request bluntly rejected by IRGC Commander, General Ahmad Vahidi, who pivoted the blame back onto the government for failing to implement timely reforms.
In early March 2026, Pezeshkian was forced to issue a public apology to Gulf nations for "arbitrary" strikes by Iranian forces following the deaths of several high-ranking commanders. He pledged to halt such attacks unless directly provoked from neighboring territories.
The apology sparked immediate, fierce backlash from the IRGC and hardliners.
Consequently, Tehran is projecting bizarrely conflicting signals: while the president seeks de-escalation, the IRGC continues to vow it will "crush" the U.S. and Israel if they exploit neighboring lands.
This situation exposes a long-hidden reality: the IRGC is not merely a military force, but a parallel state with practical power far exceeding that of the president or the civil government.
Despite being seen as a pragmatist, Pezeshkian remains trapped in a system where the Revolutionary Guard controls everything from the economy and security to foreign policy.
As Iran endures the brutal pressures of war, these public disputes are more than just internal bickering; they are signs of a nation stretched to its breaking point, where civil voices and revolutionary gunfire are increasingly out of sync.