An MOU is not a “peace deal”
The Islamic Republic of Iran remains at war with America
Assembly of Experts for Leadership
The U.S. military can clear mines but not minds
Though Tehran’s capabilities are being degraded, its theology persists
Op-eds
Mojtaba Khamenei Replaces His Father as Supreme Leader of Iran’s Clerical Regime
Iranians Urged To Pledge Allegiance to New Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been appointed to replace his father. Iran’s Assembly of Experts released a statement calling on Iranians to “keep unity and pledge allegiance to the new supreme leader.” Trump Says ‘He’s Not Going To Last Long’: President Donald Trump said that Iran is “going to have to get approval from us” regarding the appointment of its next leader. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it,” Trump stated. More Hardline Than His Father: “Mojtaba is expected to be more hardline than his father, and his ascent means the Iranian regime may get more repressive,” Axios observed. The younger Khamenei was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 for having “acted for or on behalf of” his father.
Flash Briefs
Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei?
If chosen to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei will seal the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ dominance over the Islamic Republic.
Op-eds
The Four Paths for a Post-Khamenei Iran
The U.S. is hoping for regime change in Iran, but what could happen if the Islamic Republic survives?
Op-eds
Israel Strikes Tehran Regime’s Assembly of Experts, Underlining Efforts to Disrupt Succession Process
Israel’s military isn’t making it easy for the Islamic Republic of Iran to choose a new leader. On March 3, the Israeli Air Force reportedly carried out strikes against a building housing the Assembly...
Policy Briefs
‘Too Late’: Trump Rebuffs Tehran Regime’s Request for Talks
Trump Rejects Islamic Republic Request for Talks: President Donald Trump said of Iran on March 3, “Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said, ‘Too Late!’” In a separate interview with Politico the same day, Trump asserted that Iran is “running out of launchers” for its ballistic missiles. “They’re running out and they’re running out of areas to shoot them,” he stated. “Because they’re being decimated.” IDF Strikes Targets Across Iran: The Israeli military said on March 3 that it had attacked “sites used by the regime to produce weapons, with an emphasis on ballistic missile production sites” in Tehran. The IDF also reportedly struck “the building that hosts the body of religious experts whose primary role is to select Iran’s new supreme leader.” Clashes With Hezbollah Intensify: The IDF also announced “extensive strikes on infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization” in Lebanon since Hezbollah “chose to join the campaign [against Israel] and act on behalf of Iran.” The IDF said one of its strikes eliminated Daoud Ali Zada, deputy commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), “the highest-ranking Iranian commander responsible for Iranian operations in Lebanon.”
Flash Briefs
US-Israeli strikes hit Iran’s missile, nuclear, political, and repression sites
On March 2 and 3, the United States and Israel continued their sweeping joint military campaign, hitting conventional battlefield assets and a variety of other regime targets across Tehran and central...
Op-eds
Iran Stands At A Crossroads. What Comes Next Could Change Everything.
What began as a theocracy could harden into an overt military dictatorship.
Op-eds
Khamenei is Gone, But the Regime Isn’t
The Tehran regime’s octopus may have lost its head, but its tentacles still grip the country and the region. The joint military campaign by the United States and Israel launched on February 28 has...
Policy Briefs
Behind Khamenei’s post-war shake up: Salvaging the remains of the ‘Axis of Resistance’
In the post-war era, the power players are no longer focused solely on succession; they are now deeply invested in survival in the post-Islamic Republic era as well.
Op-eds
Cracks in the Core? The Meaning Behind Iran’s Assassinations
As Iran’s economic, regional, and domestic standing deteriorates, senior and junior officials alike will begin to realize that the regime cannot ensure their safety.
Op-eds
Iran’s ‘election’ seeks to consolidate regime control
Iran’s Guardian Council, a 12-person body appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that approves candidates for office, permitted six out of 80 potential candidates to run in the special presidential...
Op-eds
Why Does Iran Hold So Many Elections?
Constant—and highly stage-managed—elections are a useful tool for Iran's theocratic leadership to remain in power.
Op-eds
Iran’s Presidential ‘Election’ Seeks to Consolidate Regime’s Control
Iran’s Guardian Council, a 12-person body appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that approves candidates for office, has permitted six out of 80 potential candidates to run in the special presidential...
Policy Briefs
Reading the Tea Leaves on Iran’s Other “Election”
The newly “re-elected” Assembly of Experts will play a large part in determining Iran’s post-Khamenei leadership.
Op-eds
Khamenei’s Strategy to Dominate the Middle East Will Outlive Him
Iran’s aging supreme leader is ensuring that any successor will stay the course.
Op-eds
Iran to Hold Parliamentary Elections but May Face Low Turnout
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 called for mass turnout in Iran’s elections on March 1. Yet even government polling indicates that the majority of...
Flash Briefs
What Does the Rise of Baqeri Mean for the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Ebrahim Raisi, who will take office on August 8 as president of the Islamic Republic in Iran, met with India’s foreign minister last week, with two top officials in tow: Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran’s...
Policy Briefs
Biden Should Not Lift Sanctions Against Iranian Presidential Candidate Ebrahim Raisi
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in congressional testimony last week that if Iran and the United States re-enter the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),...