Network Analysis · Islamic Republic Regime
The Architects of Continuity
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Structural mapping of the networks connecting Ghalibaf, Mohseni-Eje'i and Vahidi. The label column names each node; the three principal columns show each figure's connection to it. Hover or tap any row for analysis.
Data accurate as of March 2026
Mohammad-Bagher GhalibafParliament Speaker · Former IRGC Airforce Commander⚑ EU · US
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'iJudiciary Chief · Interim Leadership Council⚑ UK · EU · US
Ahmad VahidiIRGC Commander · Former Interior Minister⚑ EU · US · INTERPOL
IRGC / Intelligence Ministry (MIOS) EcosystemShared formation, 1979–1988
IRGC Ground Cmdr
Rises through IRGC air force and ground commands during the Iran-Iraq war
MOIS Judiciary RepInterrogatorIntelligence Minister
Joins MOIS as interrogator on founding; Judiciary's Representative to MOIS 1986–88; later Intelligence Minister (2005–09)
IRGC Intel ChiefMOIS Co-Founder
IRGC intelligence chief; co-founds MOIS; builds the intelligence apparatus from scratch
IRGCIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps⚑ EU · US FTO · CA · AU
IRGC Aerospace Force CmdrLEC Commander
Rose through IRGC; commanded Aerospace Force; then Law Enforcement Command from 2000
IRGC Judicial Proxy
Connected through MOIS and judiciary structures; not a uniformed IRGC member but part of its institutional ecosystem
IRGC Intel ChiefQuds Force FounderIRGC Commander
Career IRGC officer from 1979; founded Quds Force; now commands the entire corps
Ali KhameneiSupreme Leader, 1989–2026Killed 28 Feb 2026
PatronLEC Appointment
Appointed Ghalibaf as LEC commander in 2000; backed him as Speaker against ultraconservative rivals
PatronJudiciary Elevation
Elevated Eje'i through successive judiciary posts; appointed him Judiciary Chief in 2021
PatronPolitical Cover
Provided political cover after the AMIA indictment; appointed Vahidi Defence Minister and later IRGC commander
Mohsen RezaeeIRGC Commander, 1981–1997
PatronCommanding Officer
Commands IRGC divisions under Rezaee throughout the Iran-Iraq war
PatronIntelligence Deputy
Serves as Rezaee's direct intelligence deputy at the apex of IRGC command
Quds ForceIRGC extraterritorial unit⚑ UK · EU · US FTO · ARG
Informal SupporterTurkey Operations
Documented: visited Turkey multiple times to assist Quds Force and Soleimani directly
FounderCommander, 1988–1997
Founds and commands IRGC extraterritorial unit; designs it to survive decapitation
Axis of ResistanceIran's regional proxy network
Political FacilitatorLegislative Cover
Informal facilitator via Quds Force support; as Speaker, insulates Axis funding from scrutiny
Co-FounderCurrent Overseer
Co-founded the foundational proxy architecture; oversees as IRGC commander
Qasem SoleimaniQuds Force Commander⚑ UK · EU · USKilled 3 Jan 2020
IRGC PeerOperational Collaborator
Personally collaborated on Quds Force support operations in Turkey; peer from IRGC seniority
Direct Successor
Took Quds Force command directly from Vahidi in 1997; built on his institutional blueprint
Khatam al-AnbiaIRGC engineering arm (GHORB)⚑ UK · EU · US · UN
Head, 1994–1997
Runs IRGC's engineering arm during reconstruction; the pivot from military command to civilian and political power
Hossein TaebIRGC Intel chief · Habib's Circle⚑ EU · US
Habib's CircleSuccession Co-Campaigner
IRGC roots and wartime network; named co-campaigner for Mojtaba's succession
IRGC Intel AxisSuccession Co-Campaigner
IRGC intelligence axis; named co-campaigner for Mojtaba's succession
Habib's CircleSuccession Co-Campaigner
IRGC roots and Quds Force network; named co-campaigner for Mojtaba's succession
Ali LarijaniSpeaker; SNSC SecretaryKilled 17 Mar 2026
SNSC Co-MemberFactional Ally
SNSC co-member; factional ally in parliament; succession coordinator before his death
SNSC Co-MemberExpediency Peer
SNSC and Expediency Council peer; the regime's principal diplomatic translator
Indirect — SNSC Only
SNSC overlap only; no direct operational link
Ahmad-Reza RadanLEC chief⚑ EU · US
LEC Predecessor2009 Superior
Preceded Radan as LEC commander; Radan served as his operational deputy in 2009
2009 Co-EnforcerIRGC Ecosystem Peer
Operational co-enforcer in 2009 as deputy police chief, during Eje'i's time as Intelligence Minister; IRGC security ecosystem peer
Direct SubordinateInterior Ministry
LEC reports directly to Interior Minister — Radan is Vahidi's enforcement instrument
1988 massacres5,000+ prisoners executed
Judiciary's RepresentativeMOIS Liaison
In the operational chain of command during the mass execution of political prisoners
IRGC Intelligence Chief
In the operational chain of command during the mass execution of political prisoners
1999 student uprisingDormitory raids; student deaths
LEC CommanderCrackdown Lead
Co-signs IRGC threat letter to Khatami; leads crackdown; later uses it as a campaign credential
2009 Green MovementFirst convergence of all three
Street Coordinator⚑ EU · US
Coordinates street-level suppression as Tehran Mayor; Radan is operational deputy
Intelligence MinisterDetention Pipeline⚑ UK · EU · US
Runs the detention apparatus; arrests become cases, not releases
Defence MinisterMilitary Backing⚑ EU · US
Enters as Defence Minister mid-crackdown; the security establishment's guarantee
2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising"Woman, Life, Freedom" · 500+ killed
Legislative CoverParliamentary Shield
Uses parliamentary procedure to insulate the crackdown from any institutional challenge
Judiciary Chief"No Leniency" Directive
Mass arrests converted into prosecutable cases nationwide; speed is the doctrine
Interior MinisterLEC Command
Holds LEC chain intact; street forces report to same axis as parliament and judiciary
January 2026 massacreOver 30,000 killed
Parliamentary CoverPolitical Framing
Provides parliamentary cover; no institutional challenge permitted to proceed
Judiciary ChiefNo-Leniency Directive
Reiterates the 2022 no-leniency directive: "If we want to do something, we have to do it fast — delay makes it meaningless"
IRGC CommanderLEC Oversight
Holds IRGC command chain intact — over 30,000 killed in the opening weeks
Ahmadinejad CabinetInstitution, 2005–2013
Tehran Mayor
Builds urban patronage network and public profile outside the cabinet
Intelligence Minister
Intelligence Minister 2005–09; dismissed in the Mashaei factional dispute
Defence Minister
Enters as Defence Minister just as Eje'i departs; brief but documented overlap
Expediency Discernment CouncilAll three concurrent
Concurrent Member
Concurrent appointment — signals factional trust at the highest level
Concurrent Member
Concurrent appointment — signals factional trust at the highest level
Concurrent Member
Concurrent appointment — signals factional trust at the highest level
Supreme National Security CouncilSimultaneous, 2021–2026
Parliament Speaker
Legislative axis; present and voting on every security decision for five years
Judiciary Chief
Judicial axis; converts security decisions into legal process
Interior Minister
Security axis; controls Law Enforcement Command directly
Raisi GovernmentInstitution, 2021–2024
Parliament Speaker
Legislative cover and signal transmission across all domains
Judiciary Chief
Coercion becomes procedure at this junction
Interior Minister
Coercive chain intact; the security apparatus held together
Interim Leadership CouncilMarch 2026
Council MemberSovereign Authority
Holds formal sovereign authority during the transition; constitutional face of an IRGC operation
Mojtaba Khamenei blocInstalled Supreme Leader, Mar 2026
Principal CampaignerParliament Ratification
Runs the parliamentary ratification process from the Speaker's chair
Interim CouncilConstitutional Cover
Formal sovereign authority on Interim Leadership Council; the operation's constitutional face
Principal CampaignerIRGC Leverage
IRGC command leverage means no rival bloc can contest the installation