Mojtaba Khamenei Brings Monarchy Back to Iran
The Islamic Republic chooses a new supreme leader and turns itself into a family business.
Mojtaba Khamenei
Trump Could End the War Tomorrow. I Don’t Think He Will.
Energy markets breathed a sigh of relief on Monday after President Donald Trump suggested he could declare victory over Iran at any time. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he told...
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
Trump Demands Tehran Regime’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’
Trump Emphasizes ‘No Deal’ With Regime: President Donald Trump said on March 6 that the United States would make “no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” Trump...
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
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
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
Israel widens air campaign, hits Iran’s critical infrastructure, propaganda hubs (June 15–16 updates)
Israel has expanded its precision strikes across Iran. As Iran’s missile stockpile dwindles and top regime officials are either dead or in hiding, the Israeli military has now begun targeting critical...
Op-eds
‘Axis of Resistance’ or ‘Axis of Espionage?’ Iran’s struggles to staff leadership
The Kuwaiti Al-Jarida newspaper reported on October 13 that Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed the Quds Force deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard...
Op-eds
Iran’s House of Cards
The Islamic Republic’s succession games are just getting started.
Op-eds
The Butcher Is Dead. What Comes Next for Iran?
The unexpected death of the Iranian president may be the vent that allows a volcano of rage to explode. Reuel Marc Gerecht explains.
Op-eds
U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Officials Tied to Iran’s Supreme Leader
The United States on Monday sanctioned Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) and nine individuals responsible for implementing the extremist policies – both at home and abroad – of Iran’s supreme...
Policy Briefs
Iraqi Shiite Cleric Sadr Announces Political Alliance with Pro-Iran Coalition
This week, Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced a political alliance with Hadi al-Amiri, leader of a pro-Iran c...
Policy Briefs
Iran’s Next President Won’t Be a ‘Moderate’
Co-authored by Saeed Ghasseminejad When Iranian voters go to the polls to elect a new president on June 14, their choice will not matter in any real sense: Whoever wins the cont...
Op-eds
Iranian Carnival (aka “Elections”) Redux
The Basij — the radical thugs who beat up Iranians for violations of the dress code and other sins against the official version of Islam — will be voting early and often in Iran on Fr...
Op-eds
The Iranian Death Spiral Resumes
So now the Ahmadinejad people and the Khamenei people are fighting it out in the streets of Tehran, as Reza tells us. Those who have followed this blog for some time will recognize it as the late...