IRGC Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi and his inner circle have seized control of Iran

𝐈𝐑𝐆𝐂 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐃 𝐕𝐀𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍’𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍-𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆

The Institute for the Study of War reports that IRGC Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi and his… pic.twitter.com/oKReQwtrQa

— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) April 19, 2026

Factcheck:
Yes, per the Institute for the Study of War’s April 18, 2026 special report. IRGC Cmdr. Ahmad Vahidi and his circle have taken temporary control of Iran’s military actions and negotiating stance. IRGC Navy reversed FM Araghchi’s Strait of Hormuz “open” announcement, attacked commercial vessels (incl. tankers), and halted traffic—directly contradicting diplomats. IRGC media publicly undermined Araghchi. Vahidi, long sanctioned over the 1994 AMIA bombing, is now the dominant voice amid the war.