'Autopilot war machine': If Mojtaba Khamenei is getting treated in Russia, who is commanding IRGC in Iran War?

In the absence of a Supreme Leader, operational control legally defaults to the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. This is Iran's highest joint military command, traditionally tasked with coordinating the IRGC and the conventional army (Artesh). However, without Mojtaba Khamenei to act as the supreme arbiter, the generals inside Khatam al-Anbiya are no longer taking orders from the civilian government or the clerics—they are operating with absolute, unchecked military authority to direct the multi-front war.

The ballistic missiles currently striking US airbases and Gulf state infrastructure are not being launched by a political committee. They are under the direct control of Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the ruthless commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force. In a normal command structure, striking a US asset requires direct sign-off from the Supreme Leader. Today, intelligence analysts believe Hajizadeh is operating on "pre-approved" wartime contingency plans, authorizing massive drone and missile barrages autonomously.

The most chaotic sector of the Iranian military right now is the elite Quds Force, responsible for the proxy network (Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis). With explosive reports emerging this week that Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani has vanished and is potentially being interrogated or executed, by his own men on suspicion of being an Israeli spy, the external command structure has shattered. This explains why groups like Hamas are publicly turning on Tehran; the proxy network's primary handlers are either dead, in hiding, or purging each other.

Politically, the country is supposed to be guided by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian. However, Pezeshkian's recent attempts to apologize to Arab neighbors for missile strikes were instantly overruled by the military. The IRGC has effectively hijacked the SNSC. The civilian government is merely a diplomatic facade, kept alive strictly to issue public statements, while the hardline generals dictate the actual wartime realities.

While the Aerospace Force fights the US and Israel, the IRGC Ground Forces are fighting the Iranian people. Commanded by Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the ground forces have pivoted entirely inward. Pakpour is the architect of the "strangling in place" doctrine and the ongoing silent executions. With Mojtaba in Russia, Pakpour has essentially established undeclared martial law, acting as the undisputed warlord of Iran's domestic streets to ensure no civilian uprising can capitalize on the chaos.

A military running on autopilot still needs cash, especially with international sanctions and a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The war effort is being financially sustained by the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the massive economic conglomerate owned by the IRGC. By seizing total control of Iran's black-market oil smuggling routes, border crossings, and remaining telecom infrastructure, IRGC commanders are self-funding their own military operations without needing the central bank.

The most terrifying aspect of the "Autopilot War Machine" is how it ends. Washington and Jerusalem are realising that even if they wanted to negotiate a ceasefire tomorrow, there is no one left to call. You cannot negotiate a treaty with a decentralised network of autonomous generals who are all fighting for their own survival. By decapitating the supreme leadership and forcing Mojtaba into Russian exile, the US and Israel have inadvertently created a leaderless, heavily armed hydra that does not know how to surrender.