What he has not acknowledged is that his war has transformed Iran from a hybrid theocratic-civil system into something that increasingly looks like a military dictatorship under Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader. The contrast between the old Iran and the new one becomes clear by considering who holds the power now compared with a month ago. Before Feb 28, Iran’s system balanced multiple power centres. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) existed as a parallel military structure alongside the regular army, with its own ground forces, navy, air force and missile command. Guard commanders had to work within this system, competing with elected officials, civilian technocrats and moderate clerics for the supreme leader’s ear.

Source: Stuff April 06, 2026 05:02 UTC