Story perspectives

IRGC Commander Leads Ops; Trump Orders Strait Reopen

4/26/2026

Center

Vahidi Leads Ops

IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi leads major operations while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stays largely unseen.
Iran remains engaged in conflict after U.S. and Israeli strikes, with a two-week ceasefire starting April 7.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reversed his Strait of Hormuz statement, showing limited diplomatic control.
President Donald Trump issued a deadline to reopen Strait of Hormuz, and Pakistan mediated ceasefire.

Left

IRGC Re-Closes Hormuz

Citizens in Tehran report daily checkpoints, phone inspections and soaring food prices, describing the war as a militarized clampdown.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) re-closed Strait of Hormuz after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced it open, restoring blockade.
Analysts say operational authority has shifted to the IRGC, leaving Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei symbolic.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented arrests and executions, claiming the war silences dissent.

History

Historical Context

The 1979 Iranian Revolution toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and installed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on 5 May 1979. The IRGC grew into Iran’s premier military force, later directing naval operations that now dominate the Strait of Hormuz. This legacy links the revolution’s anti-Western stance to today’s regional tension.

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Vahidi Leads Ops

IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi leads major operations while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stays largely unseen.
Iran remains engaged in conflict after U.S. and Israeli strikes, with a two-week ceasefire starting April 7.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reversed his Strait of Hormuz statement, showing limited diplomatic control.
President Donald Trump issued a deadline to reopen Strait of Hormuz, and Pakistan mediated ceasefire.

1 / 3