Iran’s brief but brutal war with Israel has left its theocratic regime facing an uncertain future.
Israeli strikes killed many of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s key commanders, with Iranian political and military figures apparently plotting to sideline him. “Everybody knows Khamenei’s days are numbered,” one alleged conspirator told The Atlantic. An Iranian reformist told the Financial Times that the Islamic republic would likely endure but be profoundly reshaped by the short conflict: “It won’t change in name but will change in manner.”
Disillusionment with Khamenei was already growing, and uprisings have been met with brutal crackdowns. Many Iranians fear Tehran will use the war as a pretext for rolling back hard-won liberties, The Guardian reported.