Internal conflicts in the Iranian government: Hussein Tayeb, a Shiite cleric and head of the Basij militia, was the one who ordered the shooting of three merchant ships in July - thereby preventing the understanding agreement that was formed between the United States and Iran.
This was reported today (Sunday) by The New York Times, citing three senior Iranian officials.
Taib was removed from his position as head of intelligence in the Revolutionary Guards in 2022, after the failure of attempts to harm Israelis in Turkey, but returned as a key figure with the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader.
According to the report, Tayyip opposed the agreement with the United States from the beginning and tried to convince the new Supreme Leader that ending the war and reaching an agreement was a mistake on Iran's part.
According to Iranian sources who spoke to the newspaper, an extremist group led by Taib made the decision to fire on the ships without senior government or Revolutionary Guard officials being aware of it.
The decision led to a war within the Iranian leadership, with officials shouting at each other and two senior generals threatening to resign.
The New York Times also reported that the hawkish faction in the Iranian government is dictating the tone these days. Among the hawkish elements are other generals in the Revolutionary Guards, including the commander of the Air Force and Space Force, Majid Mousavi.
