There is a second army inside Iran that the United States has neither attacked nor engaged - and it could alter the entire trajectory of the war. George Friedman, founder of Geopolitical Futures, has identified the Artesh, Iran's conventional military inherited from the Shah era, as a force that remains intact, secular, and reportedly hostile to the IRGC, as reported by "Hvylya".
"There is another army - the Artesh - which is the army that emerged from the Shah of Iran. It is not ideological in nature. It is fairly large and it is said to be hostile to the IRGC," Friedman said in a Geopolitical Futures podcast. He noted that the Artesh does not appear to have participated in any of the resistance the US has encountered so far.
Friedman framed the Artesh as a potential tool for Washington - if it could be brought into the conflict on the American side. "If this force could be brought into the operation, if it chooses to, if we can, and is rewarded properly, this is another tool that could be used by the United States," he said. The Artesh is described as a professional, coherent force that is fundamentally secular - in contrast to the ideologically driven IRGC.
The scenario Friedman outlined would effectively turn the Iran conflict into a war between two Iranian armies, with American air support backing the Artesh against the IRGC. This could provide the ground capability Washington currently lacks without deploying American troops - the outcome Trump has been desperate to avoid.
Friedman cautioned, however, that the idea remains deeply uncertain. "I just do not know enough about this army. Most people I have talked to do not know enough about it to see what it will do," he admitted. Whether the Artesh has the capability, the willingness, and the internal cohesion to take on the IRGC is, in his words, "the mystery."
Also read: The War Backfires on Washington: Nasr Explains Why Iranians Rally Around the Regime They Despise.