Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has effectively assumed control over Tehran’s military operations and negotiating posture over the weekend, according to analysts who spoke with the New York Post on Sunday.

Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who leads the IRGC, along with close allies, has reportedly taken charge of key state decisions. Analysts point to recent Iranian attacks on vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s refusal to participate in peace talks with the United States this week as clear indicators, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

The shift toward a more aggressive stance also indicates that relatively moderate figures within Iran’s leadership, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, have been pushed aside.

Araghchi had initially agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after reaching an understanding with the Trump administration. However, the IRGC intervened, insisting the strategic waterway remain closed in response to the American blockade on Iranian ports.

Vahidi is said to have secured support from Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime IRGC figure, further solidifying his control over decisions involving the strait.

Beyond the naval standoff, cooperation between Vahidi and Zolghadr has extended into diplomatic matters. Earlier this month, Vahidi reportedly brought Zolghadr into Iran’s negotiating delegation.

Zolghadr’s role was to ensure the delegation adhered strictly to IRGC directives and the authority of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed leadership following his father’s death.

“Zolghadr sent a complaint to senior IRGC leaders, almost certainly including Vahidi, that Araghchi had surpassed his mandate during the negotiations by expressing flexibility regarding Iran’s support for the Axis of Resistance,” the ISW said of the initial peace talks.

That complaint triggered a response from senior figures in Tehran. According to the think tank, “Zolghadr’s anger caused senior leaders in Tehran, including former IRGC Intelligence Organization Chief and long-time member of Mojtaba’s inner circle, Hossein Taeb, to call the negotiating delegation back to Tehran.”

The alliance between Vahidi and Zolghadr has effectively positioned Vahidi as Iran’s primary decision-maker, second only to Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since being injured in the opening US-Israeli strikes that killed his father and other senior officials.

As a result, figures such as Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf—despite their strong rhetoric against the United States—have been sidelined and are now viewed as lacking real authority.

According to the ISW, this dynamic weakens their ability to engage in meaningful negotiations, as they lack “leverage or formal executive authority to shape decision-making.”

The developments also cast doubt on claims from the Trump administration that it was dealing with a reformed Iranian leadership following the elimination of numerous senior officials during the conflict.

With no new date set for renewed US-Iran talks, uncertainty remains over whether the fragile cease-fire will hold beyond the Tuesday deadline.