Reuters: Disagreements are escalating in the leadership of Iran

After a series of assassinations of high-ranking Iranian leaders, in particular Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, disagreements are increasingly beginning to emerge within the Iranian authorities during the operation of the United States and Israel. This was reported by Reuters, citing a source close to the Iranian leadership.

The split within Iran's ruling elite has long been suppressed under Khamenei's rule, but his murder a week ago intensified internal strife, the agency writes.

Although the son of the late Rahbar, Mojtab Khamenei, is considered the favorite of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and his father's influential office for the presidency, his positions are far from indisputable, Reuters notes. He has no serious political experience, his religious rank is lower than that of most Iranian ayatollahs, and he has failed to enlist the support of the moderate wing of the system.

At the same time, other potential candidates for the post of leader, the agency notes, may face a problem — it will be difficult for them to obtain from the security forces the loyalty that is necessary to maintain a rigid vertical of power.

Reuters writes that disagreements in the Iranian leadership flared up especially strongly after President Masoud Peseshkian's speech on March 7, in which he apologized to the Gulf countries. According to two senior Iranian sources, if earlier Tehran sometimes used internal disputes as a tactic in negotiations with the West, then the current conflict around the president's statement reflects a genuine split, the agency reports.

Khamenei was killed in the early days of the US and Israeli operation against Iran. After the confirmation of his death, an interim governing council was established in Iran to govern the country until a new leader was elected. It includes Peseshkian, the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and theologian, member of the Council of Guardians of the Constitution, Alireza Arafi.

The Washington Post, citing three sources, reported on the conclusion of US intelligence that the operation in Iran will most likely not lead to regime change. Intelligence concluded that in the event of the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, the Iranian authorities will act strictly according to protocols designed to preserve the continuity of power, RBC reminds.