Who is Iran’s real ruler? The government or the IRGC?
According to media close to the IRGC, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi faced harsh criticism immediately after he announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
One thing we need to keep in mind — the Iranian government and the IRGC are not the same. Iran’s current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is a reformist. Meaning, he came to power with assurances that he wants to compromise with the West. And Araghchi is part of his government.
We’ve seen this before too. During the war, even when Pezeshkian said to stop attacks in the Middle East, the IRGC didn’t listen. The same thing happened this time. Ignoring Araghchi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard shut the Strait of Hormuz again.
From this, it’s clear that the words of the Iranian government carry relatively less weight — the real influence lies with the core leadership. Mujtaba Khamenei’s message has gotten more importance here.