A planned peace agreement between Iran and the United States was reportedly derailed by a hard-line faction within Iran, acting independently and against the will of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The incident, which involved an attack on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, occurred while President Pezeshkian was attending funeral ceremonies for Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The uncoordinated strike, which set fire to a Qatari LNG tanker and damaged other vessels, drew international condemnation and placed Iran under significant global scrutiny. In response, President Pezeshkian contacted General Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), to demand an explanation.
According to Iranian officials and IRGC members privy to the events, General Vahidi stated that he had not authorized the attack and was unaware of the operation. The Supreme National Security Council, a key body involved in both war and negotiations, was also reportedly uninformed.
This clandestine action by a fringe hard-line faction blindsided much of the country's leadership and ultimately undermined efforts by more pragmatic elements within Iran to de-escalate hostilities with the United States and address the nation's economic challenges. The situation was further complicated by the apparent absence and silence of the new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, since his succession in March, raising questions about the authenticity of communications attributed to him.
