IRGC Tightening Grip as Iran Faces Economic Collapse, and Internal rift
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf looks on as parliament members chant in support of the IRGC while wearing military uniforms in Tehran, Iran, February 1, 2026; illustrative. (photo credit: Hamed Malekpour/Islamic consultative assembly news agency/WANA/Handout via REUTERS) Iran’s leadership is facing an escalating internal power struggle as the country’s economy edges toward collapse, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) increasingly consolidating control, according to an analysis by Iran International. The report describes what it calls the most significant political upheaval in Iran since the 1979 revolution, driven by a convergence of war, economic crisis, and a growing leadership vacuum. Together, these pressures are pushing the system away from its traditional balance between civilian government and unelected power centers toward what the analysis characterizes as a more overtly military-dominated structure. The report describes what it c...