Sardar Masjediy, the coordination deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, stated that if the Islamic Republic could be eliminated, the resistance network could also be eliminated [1]. The remark was reported by Akhbar al-Akhbar, an Iranian news outlet, on September 29, 2026 [1].
The statement reflects a strategic assessment from within Iran’s elite military structure regarding the interdependence between the Iranian state and the constellation of armed groups and militias it supports across the Middle East. Masjediy’s position as coordination deputy places him within the command hierarchy overseeing the Quds Force, the IRGC’s extraterritorial operations arm responsible for coordinating proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestinian territories [2].
The timing of the statement coincides with reported discussions among U.S. officials about potential military escalation. According to reports from the Akhbar Tel Fori channel, U.S. officials have suggested that President Trump may order a resumption of large-scale military operations against Iran [3].
The linkage Masjediy drew between the survival of Iran’s government and the viability of what Iranian officials term the “axis of resistance” – a network encompassing Hezbollah, Hamas, various Iraqi militias, and the Houthi movement – underscores Tehran’s strategic calculus that these entities function as force multipliers and strategic depth against adversaries. The statement suggests Iranian military leadership views the regime’s existential security as fundamentally tied to maintaining influence and operational capacity through these proxy networks [4].
Analysts have characterized Iran’s approach to asymmetric warfare as a strategic advantage against militarily superior adversaries [4], a doctrine that Masjediy’s statement implicitly reinforces. By framing the resistance network as inseparable from the Islamic Republic itself, the Quds Force official may be signaling both a commitment to these groups and an acknowledgment that threats to the Iranian state would necessarily extend to its regional infrastructure.
The statement does not specify which threats Masjediy anticipated or what contingency measures Tehran might implement. However, it reflects a worldview within Iran’s military establishment that views regional proxy forces not as expendable assets but as integral components of national security strategy.
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