Report: Iran's Basij Chief Orchestrated Attack to Derail US Deal
Hussein Taeb, a Shiite cleric and head of the Basij militia, is reportedly responsible for ordering the July attack on three merchant ships, an action that derailed a potential understanding between the United States and Iran. The New York Times, citing three senior Iranian officials, published the report on Sunday.
Taeb was dismissed as head of intelligence for the Revolutionary Guards in 2022 following failed attempts to harm Israelis in Turkey. However, he re-emerged as a key figure in the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader after Ali Khamenei's elimination. According to the report, Taeb opposed the agreement with the U.S. from the outset and tried to persuade the new Supreme Leader that ending the war and reaching a deal would be a mistake for Iran.
Iranian officials speaking to the newspaper stated that an extremist faction made the decision to fire on the ships without the knowledge of the regime's leadership. This led to internal disputes, with five police officials telling the paper that Revolutionary Guards Commander General Ahmad Vahidi informed President Masoud Pezeshkian by phone that he had not approved or known about the attack beforehand.
In recent weeks, Iranian political and military leaders have debated two approaches to overcoming the stalemate with the U.S. One strategy involves returning to negotiations, while the other advocates escalating attacks against American targets, aiming to damage naval vessels, kill U.S. soldiers, and drive up global oil prices. Both strategies are intended to end the U.S. naval blockade of Iran's southern ports.
Within this debate, officials and two members of the Revolutionary Guards told the newspaper that Majid Mousavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace force, along with hardline generals, pushed for military confrontation. These generals presented a detailed war plan to the National Security Council, proposing that Iran and its proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen and Shiite groups in Iraq, increase attacks, including on oil facilities in the region, to broaden the conflict and raise the cost for the U.S. and its allies.
Conversely, President Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Qalibaf were among those who warned that the war plan could plunge the country into an abyss, leading to intense American airstrikes and even more crippling economic pressure. However, the report indicated that the hardline faction currently holds the upper hand among decision-makers.
In related developments, recent reports indicate that the Houthi rebels in Yemen have been working to capture strategic areas to solidify their control over the Bab el-Mandeb strait, at Iran's request. The Houthi capture of the nearby port city of Mokha is one of their significant achievements. Forces opposing the Houthis, supported by Saudi Arabia, feel that Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are not doing enough against them. An intelligence source from these forces stated that Iran has asked the Houthis to increase their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, complementing efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz. Chinese satellite imagery was reportedly used in an attack on a U.S. base.
