NYT: Iranian hardliners launched unauthorized July Hormuz attacks that derailed US peace deal

The New York Times reported that Iranian hardliners, allegedly led by Basij chief Hossein Taeb, launched attacks on Hormuz shipping in early July without authorization from President Masoud Pezeshkian or IRGC chief Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, derailing a US-Iran peace memorandum that had been under negotiation.

Why this matters. The report indicates a fractured Iranian chain of command in which hardline factions can unilaterally sabotage diplomacy, undermining confidence that any future ceasefire or peace framework with Tehran would hold.