Survival over Defection: Why Iran’s Military Elites Stay Loyal

UANI Senior Advisor Dr. Saeid Golkar writes: "Over the course of the 12-day war, Israel subjected the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to a devastating combination of psychological and physical attacks aimed at destabilizing Iran’s military hierarchy. While the strikes shook the regime and killed high-level IRGC officials, no military commander has yet defected. . . . [A] central question remains: why, in the face of such extreme pressure, do Iran’s military elites stay loyal to the regime? The answer is that they cannot afford to leave. The Islamic Republic has spent more than four decades creating a system in which loyalty is rewarded, dissent is punished, and defection is nearly impossible. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei protects loyalists, distributes privileges, and controls key appointments within the government. For military commanders, their entire careers and personal safety depend on Khamenei’s continued rule."