Iran’s Guard Corps Runs the War

If Mojtaba Khamenei is incapacitated and cannot appear, speak, or reassure elites, wartime command in Iran will default to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the hidden security networks around the supreme leader rather than visible civilian officials. That transfer is driven by who can securely communicate, coordinate strikes, and survive targeting, not by formal titles read on television. — If the IRGC is the de facto decision‑maker, Western and regional policy, targeting choices, and negotiation strategies must assume a militarized chain of command that is less vulnerable to traditional signals and diplomacy.