World

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Threaten US With 'Unforgettable Lesson'

Herz — World Desk · 25 July 2026 at 17:21 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

Despite intense American airstrikes, Iran refuses to back down. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a parallel military branch operating alongside Iran's regular armed forces, has promised the United States an "unforgettable lesson." Tehran is blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global commerce, causing gas prices to surge in the United States. Western diplomats and intelligence services report that Iran's state apparatus remains intact, with no significant defectors emerging. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has neither appeared publicly nor released videos since taking power.

Revolutionary Guards vow 'unforgettable lesson' to US despite intense airstrikes
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains invisible since taking power
Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz, pushing US gasoline prices higher amid conflict
Revolutionary Guards control approximately one-third of Iran's economy
Western diplomats and intelligence assess Iran's regime as stable in near term

What We Know

Despite intense American airstrikes, the Revolutionary Guards—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's military force operating parallel to its regular army—have declared they will inflict on the United States an "unforgettable lesson" that will "break the will of the aggressor," according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Since taking power, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has shown neither in person nor by video message to his followers.

Iran is blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint in global trade and energy exports. This action is driving up gasoline prices in the United States, putting Donald Trump under domestic political pressure.

The Strait of Hormuz is more important than dozens of nuclear bombs.
— Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Khamenei, according to Iranian news agency ISNA

Western diplomats, Iranian observers, and intelligence services unanimously assess that Tehran will not yield to military pressure in any foreseeable future. The state apparatus remains intact, no significant defectors have emerged, and government officials continue to be paid.

Revolutionary Guards Strengthened by Conflict

The conflict has accelerated the rise of the Revolutionary Guards. They control numerous influential religious foundations and an economic empire estimated at approximately one-third of Iran's total economy.

Iranian observers describe this process as a "slow-motion coup d'état" being accelerated by the war.

The Axis of Resistance

The Axis of Resistance—an informal military alliance led by Iran bringing together various Shiite and non-sectarian armed movements—includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen (who control the capital Sana'a), and Palestinian organizations such as Hamas.

Shiite militias operating in Iraq have deeply penetrated the country's politics and economy. In 2014, an Iranian parliamentarian boasted that Tehran controlled four Arab capitals: Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and Sana'a.

Hamas has appointed Khalil al-Hayya, an Iran-aligned figure, as its new leader. The organization poses a significantly lesser threat to Israel than it did before the Gaza war and now governs a landscape of ruins in the Gaza Strip.