Iran’s Air Defence Is Weakening, Can Brutal IRGC Chief Ahmad Vahidi Still Ensure Victory? Explained

Last Updated:March 06, 2026, 18:10 IST

US-Israel-Iran war: How bad is the damage for Iran? Who is Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi? How brutal is Vahidi? News18 explains

At a time when Iran’s Integrated Air Defence Network (IADN) has been severely compromised following intense US and Israeli air campaigns that began on February 28, can Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), ensure Tehran’s victory?

How bad is the damage for Iran? Who is Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi? How brutal is Vahidi? News18 explains

Iran’s air defence a shambles

Military observers indicate that Iran’s air defence is currently in a state of near-collapse or severe degradation.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) officially declared air superiority over Tehran on March 1. This allows their aircraft to operate freely, often dropping munitions directly on targets rather than relying on long-distance “stand-off" strikes.

System Failures:

S-300 / S-400: Most batteries near major hubs like Tehran and Isfahan are largely non-functional after being targeted in the opening salvos of the conflict.

Bavar-373: Iran’s primary indigenous long-range system has been severely degraded, particularly in Western Iran, where it was prioritised for dismantling by Allied forces.

Chinese HQ-9B: Despite being deployed to protect sensitive nuclear sites, this newly acquired system reportedly failed to prevent strikes on those facilities.

Why a poor defence could be Iran’s ‘Achilles’ Heel’

The failure of air defence cascades through Iran’s entire military strategy:

Without air cover, Iran’s main offensive tool—its ballistic missiles—is left impaired. Mobile launchers are being tracked and destroyed by drones and jets the moment they emerge from underground “missile cities", say experts.

ALSO READ | Iran’s Missile Stockpiles Depleting, ‘Less But More’ Strategy To The Rescue | Explained

The inability to stop 5th-generation stealth aircraft (like the F-35) or heavy bombers (like the B-2) has collapsed Iran’s deterrent posture, forcing the regime to rely on lower-tech, less effective retaliatory measures like drone swarms.

Threats to block the Strait of Hormuz are difficult to execute without solid air cover, as Iranian naval assets are easily overwhelmed by modern air-to-sea strikes.

What is Iran doing?

To compensate for this weakness, Iran has shifted toward:

Moving away from Western-controlled GPS to the Chinese BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System in early 2026 to bypass GPS jamming that previously reduced its missile accuracy, according to reports.

Increased reliance on mass-produced Shahed drones to saturate enemy air defenses, though these have seen high interception rates by regional neighbors like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

How can IRGC chief Vahidi help?

Vahidi’s appointment follows the deaths of several top leaders, including former IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, during joint US-Israeli strikes. Vahidi is considered a “key wartime leader" and a senior strategist with decades of experience.

ALSO READ | Why Russia Is Not Defending Iran Amid US-Israel War: 5 Reasons Explained

Whether he can lead Iran to a “win" depends on his ability to execute the following strategies:

Asymmetric Warfare: Vahidi is a primary architect of Iran’s asymmetric warfare doctrine, focusing on non-traditional combat to offset the conventional military superiority of the US and Israel.

Retaliatory Operations: Under his command, the IRGC has vowed to launch “Operation True Promise 4," described as the “most ferocious offensive in history," targeting US and Israeli bases across the Middle East.

Intelligence-Driven Command: Unlike his predecessors who were primarily battlefield commanders, Vahidi’s background is rooted in intelligence and strategic planning, which may help stabilize the IRGC’s disrupted command structure.

How brutal is he?

Vahidi is widely characterised as a “hardline loyalist" with a reputation for extreme ruthlessness in both domestic and international operations.

He is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for his alleged role in “conceiving, planning, and executing" the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people.

As Interior Minister (2021–2024), he oversaw the violent crackdown on the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom" protests. Under his command, security forces were accused of mass killings, assaults, and torturing dissidents.

Middle East analysts have described his predecessors as “schoolteachers" compared to Vahidi’s level of brutality, noting that he is expected to oversee mass killings of Iranians to keep the regime alive.

Due to his involvement in terrorism, human rights violations, and nuclear proliferation, he is heavily sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury, the European Union, Canada, and the UK.

With Agency Inputs

News explainers Iran’s Air Defence Is Weakening, Can Brutal IRGC Chief Ahmad Vahidi Still Ensure Victory? Explained

Read More