Nobody can say how the US-Israeli war on Iran will play out, let alone what will happen to Iran once hostilities end. Yet even with Khamenei gone, Iran's regime is still fully functional with veteran politician Ali Larijani at the helm. In the early stages of the war, Trump called on the Iranian army, Revolutionary Guard and police to lay down their weapons. In this scenario, Iran's army and Revolutionary Guards could end up in different and perhaps even opposing political camps, which could spark civil war. After all, five Kurdish organizations joined forces to collectively confront Iran's regime just one week before the war began.

Source: New York Times March 05, 2026 13:34 UTC