By World Israel News Staff

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has effectively taken control of the country following the loss of the regime’s ruling class, Fox News reported on Tuesday, as the security establishment rushes to fill the vacuum left by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.

It is estimated that roughly 50 top regime officials have been killed since the war started on February 28, with many more injured, including Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Following the killing of the previous Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the failure of his son, Mojtaba, to make any public appearances, which has strengthened rumors that his injuries are severe, security officials have stepped up to take effective control of the country.

Fox News, citing intelligence reports, noted that the IRGC in particular has come to dominate the Islamic Republic since February 28.

According to Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the ongoing war has enabled the IRGC to further expand its control over the regime, speeding up a process that began years ago.

The war, he said, “expedited the trend lines inherent in Iranian politics, which is the dominance of the security forces and the ascendance of the IRGC.”

Established following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the IRGC was founded as a highly ideological force, separate from the state military, which answers only to the Supreme Leader.

With Ali Khamenei dead, however, and his successor unable to directly assert control, the IRGC has now assumed many of the powers previously reserved for the Supreme Leader.

Recent reports have reflected the IRGC’s takeover of the Islamic Republic, sparking some backlash from the remnants of the civilian leadership and Ali Khamenei’s inner circle.

Before he was killed in an IDF airstrike on March 17, Ali Larijani was widely perceived to be the de facto leader of Iran, using his position as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council to balance power grabs by Ahmad Vahidi, commander-in-chief of the IRGC.

Vahidi was tapped to lead the IRGC on March 1, after his predecessor, Mohammad Pakpour, was killed on the first day of the war.

Following Larijani’s killing, President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly chastised the IRGC, accusing Vahidi of intentionally exposing his rival to assassination by the IDF, adding that the IRGC was leading Iran toward disaster.

Despite the IRGC’s growing influence, control of Iran is still fragmented.

As Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei is the de jure head of state, though, given his condition, the powers of the office have reverted in part to the Supreme National Security Council.

In addition, the president and senior lawmakers, in particular Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, have retained some control over state affairs.