SanctionsAML

The Islamic Republic’s infighting has hit the streets as Khamenei loyalists accuse the IRGC of treason and the regime calls them a “cancerous tumor” that must be cut out. Ultra-hardline women from a group known as Toueh gathered outside IRGC headquarters in Tehran wearing white burial shrouds. These are not opposition activists. They are among the regime’s most fanatical loyalists. They reject negotiations, demand immediate retaliation and regard compromise as treason. Their accusation is extraordinary: the IRGC and army are defying Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. On October 31, Khamenei ordered that every threat receive an “immediate and effective response, without geographical limitation.” The women say the military has refused to obey. They chanted “shame on your honor,” accused commanders of insubordination and issued a 24-hour ultimatum for retaliation. Some reportedly demanded the dissolution of the Supreme National Security Council and the prosecution of negotiators as traitors. The establishment responded by turning on its own base. Hossein Soleimani, an editor at the hardline Mashregh outlet, called the movement a worsening “cancerous tumor” and declared that “the surgery has already begun.” Khorasan demanded judicial action against the organizers and their backers. Jomhouri Eslami called on intelligence agencies to suppress the “illegal rallies.” No broad arrests have been confirmed, but the message is unmistakable: the regime’s most devoted street loyalists are now considered an internal security threat. The army then announced an “offensive” doctrine promising urgent and effective responses without geographical limits—the exact language the protesters accused commanders of ignoring. It appears designed to demonstrate loyalty to Khamenei while preventing the ultra-hardline street from dictating military policy. The struggle exposes the factions pulling the regime apart: ▪️ Ultra-hardline loyalists want immediate war, unrestricted retaliation and an end to negotiations. ▪️ The IRGC command remains aggressive but prioritizes its institutional survival, economic empire and control of the state. An unrestricted war could destroy all three. ▪️ The Supreme National Security Council under Mohsen Rezaei is trying to control escalation and prevent ideological mobs from seizing the decision-making process. ▪️ The diplomatic faction wants to convert military and maritime pressure into sanctions relief, unfrozen funds and an agreement that preserves the regime. ▪️ Mojtaba Khamenei needs retaliation to prove his authority, yet depends on the same military establishment now accused of disobeying him. Mojtaba’s failure to make a verified public appearance since taking power deepens the crisis. His authority is exercised through written statements, allowing every faction to invoke his name for a different strategy. The loyalists demand war in Khamenei’s name. The army repeats his language to prove obedience. The security establishment calls his most devoted followers a cancer requiring surgery. This is no longer a private dispute over strategy. It is a public struggle over who controls the military, who speaks for the Supreme Leader and whether the Islamic Republic chooses negotiations or war.