Iranian President Peshin Tehzian was riding high in early July. He had just successfully pushed for a peace agreement with the United States and traveled to neighboring Iraq for a week-long funeral for Iran's late Supreme Leader. However, he was then suddenly struck by shocking news.
Iranian armed forces opened fire on three merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, catching one Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier ablaze and damaging the others. This put Iran on the defensive in international public opinion. According to five Iranian officials and two members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps familiar with the incident, Peshin Tehzian was furious and called Ahmed Vahidi, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He raised his voice on the phone, condemning the action as reckless and demanding an explanation.
These five informed officials stated that Vahidi told Peshin Tehzian that he had neither authorized the attack nor received prior knowledge of it. They also indicated that the Supreme National Security Council, which plays a key role in the war and negotiations, was equally unaware of the incident. In fact, most of Iran's leadership was unaware that a marginalized hardliner had decided to act on its own. Ultimately, these covert operations undermined efforts by moderates and pragmatists within Iran to end hostilities with the United States and revive the country's frail economy.
(The above content is from a New York Times report on September 13.)
