Source: FOX News
Summary
The US and Israel have launched strikes on Iran, targeting senior regime officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran has retaliated with missile barrages against US positions. As the situation escalates, the question of who would lead Iran if the Islamic Republic collapses is becoming increasingly relevant. However, regional analysts say there is no obvious successor poised to take control of the country. The outcome depends on whether Iran’s coercive institutions, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), fracture or consolidate.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
The US and Israel have taken a dramatic step by targeting senior Iranian officials. Iran’s response has been swift, with missile barrages against US positions. The situation is escalating, and the question of who will lead Iran if the regime collapses is becoming increasingly pressing. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, has called the US strikes a “humanitarian intervention” and urged Iran’s military and security forces to abandon the clerical regime. Maryam Rajavi, leader of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has outlined a provisional government framework aimed at transferring sovereignty to the Iranian people. However, the actual base of support for these opposition figures inside Iran is difficult to measure.
It’s a familiar scene: opposition figures abroad making bold statements, while the real struggle for power takes place inside military barracks and security compounds.
