The elite corps of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has taken an even more central role in decision-making in the war, despite the loss of a number of senior commanders in the recent strikes by the United States and Israel, sources familiar with the internal structure of the force said, reported "Reuters".
According to them, the Guards have tightened control over military strategy and are behind Iran's ongoing campaign of missile and drone strikes in the region. On Wednesday, Iranian forces opened fire on Turkey, a NATO member, raising the risk of a wider regional escalation.
Sources say that even before Saturday's attack by the US and Israel, the Guard had prepared a decentralized command system, in which decisions are delegated to lower levels in the hierarchy. This ensures that military operations can continue even if senior commanders are eliminated.
The new commander of the corps, Ahmad Vahidi, participates in all key leadership meetings, and the main goal remains "the survival of the Islamic revolutionary system," a source close to the Guard said.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Reza Talaeinik, each command position has pre-assigned deputies up to three levels below. "If a commander is killed, his successor immediately takes over," he said in a television interview.
Analysts say the strategy has been in development for nearly two decades, as the Iranian military watched the collapse of Iraq's army during the 2003 US invasion. The goal is to allow individual regions to act independently in an attack and maintain regime control.
At home, the Guard's strong role and tight security controls also reduce the likelihood of mass protests, undermining hopes in Washington and Tel Aviv that military pressure could spark a domestic uprising.
Following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the choice of his successor could further strengthen the corps' influence. Among the possible candidates mentioned is his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has close ties to the Guard and support among its more radical circles.
Established after the Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979), the Revolutionary Guard has gradually become a structure of enormous influence - combining military force, intelligence networks and considerable economic power. It plays a key role both in Tehran's foreign policy through its ties with Shiite allies in the Middle East, and in internal security through the paramilitary Basij organization.
Analysts warn that while the system of decentralization increases the resilience of the command, it also increases the risk of wrong decisions or escalation if lower-ranking officers are given the freedom to launch attacks on neighboring countries.