'What Happened In Oman Not Our Choice': Did Iranian Minister Say Revolutionary Guards Are 'Independent'?

Last Updated:March 02, 2026, 16:20 IST

About the Iranian drone strikes on Oman, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the civilian government previously instructed the armed forces to be "careful" with chosen targets

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed that his country’s military units are now acting independently, and the strikes on Oman – who was the mediator in the nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington DC – were not the government’s choice. 

Araghchi said the Iranian drone strikes on Oman, which is a long-standing neutral mediator, were “not our choice", indicating that the armed forces may now be operating with autonomy.

His comments come at a time of unprecedented regional instability following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli air raids. He sought to distance the civilian government from the strike on the Omani port of Duqm, saying Iran had previously instructed its armed forces to be “careful" with their chosen targets.

“What happened in Oman was not our choice. We have already told our armed forces to be careful about the targets they choose," Araghchi told Al Jazeera.

But, he admitted that the Iranian armed forces are “in fact, independent and somewhat isolated" and currently acting based on “general instructions given to them in advance" rather than direct, real-time command from the political leadership.

“Our military units are now, in fact, independent and somewhat isolated, and they are acting based on general instructions given to them in advance," he was quoted.

Araghchi’s admission has raised urgent questions about the government’s ability to control its most powerful military branches, notably the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Indian intelligence sources have indicated that the elite force has seized de-facto control as its core mandate is the protection of the internal regime.

WHAT DOES OMAN HAVE TO SAY?

The diplomatic relationship between Iran and Oman has been pushed to a breaking point following a drone attack on Sunday (March 1), which targeted the Omani port of Duqm.

Until this strike, Oman was the only Gulf state spared from the escalating Iranian campaign launched in response to the massive military operations conducted by the US and Israel. The Duqm attack, carried out by two Iranian drones, resulted in injuries to a foreign worker marking a direct assault on the territory of the nation that has spent years mediating sensitive nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West.

Despite the violation of its sovereignty, Oman has remained steadfast in its commitment to peace. Foreign minister Badr Albusaidi held a telephone call with Araghchi on Sunday, during which he “affirmed the Sultanate of Oman’s continued call for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue".

Albusaidi later took to social media to insist that the “door to diplomacy remains open", even as war ravages the region. He said recent talks in Geneva had made “genuine progress" toward an agreement and expressed his belief that “war should not mean that the hope of peace is extinguished".

For his part, Araghchi said Iran remains “open to any serious efforts" to stop the escalation, though the continued independence of his country’s military units complicates such promises.

WHAT IS THE IRGC?

At the heart of Iran’s autonomous military action is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the ‘Pasdaran’.

Established by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 in the immediate aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, the IRGC was designed as an elite force separate from the regular military, the Artesh. Its primary constitutional mission is not merely national defence, but the protection of the country’s Islamic system and the preservation of revolutionary ideals against internal and external “sabotage".

Over the decades, the IRGC has evolved into what experts describe as a “state within a state", possessing its own dedicated land, sea, and air forces. Its structure is highly specialised: the Quds Force manages extraterritorial operations and supports regional allies like Hezbollah and Hamas; the Basij serves as a paramilitary volunteer militia focused on internal security and the suppression of dissent; and the Aerospace Force maintains control over Iran’s strategic missile programme, currently the largest in the Middle East.

But, it has emerged as a dominant and largely autonomous force with influence extending far beyond the battlefield. It is a massive economic conglomerate, controlling approximately one-third of Iran’s entire economy.

Through firms like Khatam al-Anbiya, the Revolutionary Guards holds significant interests in oil and gas, construction, banking, and telecommunications. This vast wealth provides it with the financial independence to operate without oversight from the civilian government, reinforcing Araghchi’s description of “independent" military units.

In January, the European Union followed the lead of the US, Canada, and Australia by formally designating it as a terrorist organisation, citing its brutal crackdown on domestic protesters. Iran retaliated in February by designating all EU naval and air forces as “terrorist entities".

The current vacuum of power following the death of Khamenei has intensified fears of a military takeover. According to an exclusive report by Reuters, recent CIA assessments – produced in the weeks leading up to the US-Israeli strikes – showed that the Supreme Leader could be replaced by hardline IRGC elements if killed.

Reuters said these intelligence reports looked at multiple scenarios, including the possibility of IRGC figures seizing direct control of the government, an outcome that would formalise the “independent" and “isolated" status Araghchi attributes to the country’s armed forces.

(With agency inputs)

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