DUBAI – Iran's ruling hierarchy is showing signs of fracturing under the dual pressures of a sustained U.S.-Israeli bombardment and a leadership crisis following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei one week ago, sources inside the country told Reuters The fissures, long suppressed under Khamenei’s rule, have spilled into the open, revealing a deep strategic rift between hardline factions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and more pragmatic figures
The internal division was laid bare by a public row over President Masoud Pezeshkian’s promise not to launch strikes against Gulf states This move toward de-escalation exposed the starkly different approaches within the leadership as it confronts what it views as an existential threat The unrelenting military pressure has reportedly prompted the IRGC to seize a greater role in strategic decisions, despite a campaign that has killed many of its top commanders
The power struggle is intensifying as the country moves to appoint a successor to Khamenei His son, Mojtaba, is considered a potential frontrunner with strong backing from the IRGC, though his authority is not universally accepted within the clerical establishment The death of the elder Khamenei has removed a key arbiter between factions, creating a dangerous power vacuum at a critical moment for the Islamic Republic
Yasir Rai
