Fox News reported on May 4: "Iran's president bluntly stated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) attack on the UAE was entirely irresponsible and nothing short of madness...

President Pezeshkian was deeply enraged by this act, as the IRGC launched missile and drone strikes against the UAE without informing the Iranian government or coordinating with any central authority.

Pezeshkian condemned this strategy of unilaterally escalating confrontation with Gulf neighbors as a 'reckless act,' warning that it could trigger irreversible and severe consequences."

Multiple media outlets reported on this incident from May 4 to May 5. The core facts are clear: Iranian President Pezeshkian publicly and sternly criticized the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accusing them of launching attacks on the UAE without notifying the central government, and denouncing the action as “madness” and “irresponsible.”

This is not merely an internal dispute within Iran’s official circles—it is an open eruption of deep-seated fractures within the country’s power structure.

The trigger: On May 4, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missiles and drones toward the UAE. The UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed intercepting multiple incoming targets, but the Fujairah oil industrial zone was still hit, sparking fires and resulting in three injuries.

Presidential fury: President Pezeshkian expressed intense anger, publicly accusing the IRGC’s actions as having completely bypassed civilian government oversight and coordination—a “highly reckless” and “irresponsible” unilateral gamble.

Diplomatic embarrassment: On the very same day the IRGC carried out the attack, Foreign Minister Alaghchi was engaged in diplomatic mediation in Pakistan, attempting to ease tensions with the United States through negotiations. The military’s action instantly nullified the diplomatic efforts.

This incident exposes Iran’s long-standing contradiction of a “dual power structure,” where elected civilian leadership clashes with the military force directly subordinate to the Supreme Leader.

The civilian government, represented by President Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Alaghchi, advocates for diplomatic engagement, de-escalation with Gulf neighbors and the United States, aiming to lift sanctions and revive the economy.

In contrast, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which controls actual military power and vast economic resources, favors a hardline confrontational stance toward the U.S. and Gulf states. They even possess an independent command structure and frequently act directly, bypassing central government authority.

President Pezeshkian’s public condemnation of the IRGC as “crazy” and his warning about potentially “irreversible serious consequences” indicate that the civilian government’s tolerance for military overreach has reached its breaking point. This sends a dangerously clear signal to the outside world: Iran’s decision-making leadership can no longer maintain a unified external message—the state machinery is suffering severe internal friction.

The Fox News report reveals Iran’s most pressing current internal crisis. Pezeshkian’s anger, at its core, reflects a democratically elected president’s helplessness and struggle in the face of an uncontrollable military force. For the international community, this means engaging with Iran will become significantly more complex, as signals emanating from Tehran may be instantly contradicted—or “backed down”—by its military.

Iran’s internal split between military and civil authorities makes the Middle East situation extremely unpredictable. Even if Iran’s diplomats sit at the negotiating table promising peace, the IRGC may still seize ships in the Strait of Hormuz or launch missiles at neighboring countries. This “fight while negotiating” or even “negotiate while fighting” dynamic renders any ceasefire agreement highly fragile and easily collapsed into another full-scale war due to unilateral military adventurism.

War has not yet fully erupted—but Iran’s internal chaos has already begun. The outcome is foreseeable.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864330404947968/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.