April 21, 2026
Everyone thought that with the assassination of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the Iranian regime would just crumble and fall apart and the country would just change course and start liking Israel and America.
However, the Iranian regime is a lot bigger than just the former Ayatollah. It is a deep seated spirit of distrust and hated of Israel and as a result, the United States, that cannot be washed away with the assassination of one leader.
Iran is not a Banana Republic the way some of the Latin American countries were during the Cold War where you could assassinate a Jacobo Arbenz or a Salvador Allende and the country would just do an about face with another leader with a different political and economic philosophy.
In Iran there is a supreme leader, which is the highest authority, and now currently operating under a transitional leadership council as of March 2026, following the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.
Then there is an assembly of experts, which is an 88-member body of clerics responsible for electing (and theoretically overseeing) the Supreme Leader.
Then there is the executive & legislature with a president and parliament (Majlis) that are elected, but candidates are vetted by the guardian council for loyalty to the regime.
All of these institutions are buttressed by a theocratic foundation based on the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih (guardianship of the jurist), which places supreme authority in the hands of religious scholars.
All of the people in these branches of the political economy chant Death to America and Death to Israel. Most of them are highly educated and highly motivated to secure a prosperous Iran.
So, you will have to change the hearts and minds of all of them, which is near impossible to do.