Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated media is now denying reports that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has resigned.

However, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: there appears to be a growing rift between the IRGC and key civilian leaders within the Iranian regime.

Reports indicate that Pezeshkian was cut off from meeting with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and that several of his presidential appointments have been rescinded.

He's also reportedly referred to recent Iranian attacks on neighboring countries as "madness." Several weeks ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz was open, only to be publicly overruled by the IRGC through a maritime cable issued just hours later.

And recently, both Pezeshkian and the current Iranian Parliament speaker reportedly have become increasingly distrustful of Araghchi, viewing him as an IRGC aide.

All indications point to growing divisions among competing factions within the Iranian leadership, particularly between the IRGC and civilian officials.

The internal "blame game" also appears to be intensifying, with a former IRGC Navy commander now claiming that he warned Iranian leadership earlier this year that a joint U.S.-Israeli strike against the regime and the supreme leader was possible.

Iran's worsening domestic situation is adding additional pressure.

Food inflation exceeds 150%, the Iranian Rial has fallen to less than one U.S. cent in value, and President Pezeshkian is now publicly urging Iranians to conserve electricity and energy amid growing economic strain.

This past weekend, President Donald Trump indicated that he's "not in a hurry" to reach a deal with Iran, noting that "if you're going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal."

The president's comments suggest an understanding that time is not currently on Iran's side given the country's internal political divisions and deteriorating domestic conditions.

It also demonstrates that President Trump is not wearing his political hat.

He's wearing his commander in chief hat and understands that his chief responsibility as Trump is keeping our country and the American people safe.

The big question is: how can the United States further drive a wedge between current Iranian regime leadership, demoralize key regime figures, and intensify the growing internal blame game within the Iranian system?

One answer is psychological warfare.

Psychological warfare is designed to weaken morale, create confusion, increase distrust, and exploit divisions within a target leadership structure.

Its roots trace back to ancient military strategy and were employed effectively by historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan.

In "The Art of War," Sun Tzu also emphasized the importance of undermining an enemy's morale and internal cohesion as a means of achieving strategic advantage.

The U.S. military has long maintained a robust and effective psychological warfare capability.

At the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, the PSYWAR School trains psychological operations personnel across the Department of War and provides advanced psychological operations training for all military services.

History shows that authoritarian regimes often begin to fracture when key officials conclude that loyalty may carry greater personal risk than defection, making accountability itself a powerful psychological weapon.

For some time, this writer has advocated in both domestic and international television interviews that the Iranian regime be told that, once the current conflict is over, there will be tribunal-styled trials and current regime officials will be held accountable.

Just as Nazi officials were held accountable for atrocities committed during World War II, current Iranian regime officials should also be held accountable for their terrorist activities as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, as well as for the atrocities committed against their own people.

It should be made crystal clear to current Iranian regime officials that the only way to avoid future prosecution and accountability is to defect or surrender now.

Fully understanding that they may ultimately face justice could help further deepen divisions among Iran's leadership and intensify the growing internal blame game.

Others have increasingly begun advocating a similar approach.

Dr. Walter Block, the Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair at Loyola University New Orleans, recently wrote in the Baltimore Jewish Times that President Trump should consider declaring that members of the Iranian regime could face accountability under principles similar to those applied at Nuremberg following World War II, as alluded to earlier.

Former United Nations prosecutor Payam Akhavan, who has documented abuses committed by the Iranian regime, has also declared, "The scale of the crimes is unprecedented. We are trying to set the stage for transitional justice in Iran, for the country's Nuremberg moment."

Additionally, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has directly warned Supreme Leader Khamenei that, "Just as the Nazi criminals were tried and punished at Nuremberg, you and your accomplices will also be tried and punished."

President Trump has taken important steps to ensure that the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism never obtains a nuclear weapon.

The administration also recognizes that time isn't currently on Iran’s side as economic turmoil grows and internal divisions within the regime continue to widen.

Effective use of psychological warfare can help further intensify these internal rifts, weaken morale, and sow additional distrust among Iran's current leadership.

Van Hipp is Chairman of American Defense International, Inc. He’s the former deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Army and author of "The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It." He is the 2018 recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Sept. 11 Garden Leadership Award for National Security. Read more Van Hipp Insider articles — Click Here Now.