Let's wait and see what official sources say. If some more sources confirm his health is deteriorating, it will be an interesting next few weeks.
Right now I am wondering:
1. Who goes first, Trump or Khameini?
2. Will Khameini hand over power before he dies?
3. What is Mojtaba's stance on nukes?
Bro, the article is rubbish and constitutes zionist disinformation. As another user said, its author seems to have separatist sympathies too, and is therefore no friend of the Islamic Republic. As per Iran's constitution, the Supreme Leader can't designate his own successor. I'd recommend not to lend credence to such a dubious piece.
The only thing preventing Iran from getting nukes is Khameini.
Most decision makers in Iran are in line with it.
When it comes to the liberals (reformists + centrists), not only do they oppose the development of WMD, but they'd even go much further than this.
Unlike the Supreme Leader, the liberals would also accept additional limits to Iran's nuclear program beyond the JCPOA, and they would even be willing to curtail the missile arsenal (see Rohani's Noruz speech where he happily declared that Iran should look forward to JCPOA's II and III, i.e. deals on missiles and on regional policy)... The Supreme Leader is one the main actors preventing this.
so Iran can finally stop worrying about external challenges from US and Israel all the time
Some users on this forum are worrying much more than the decision makers themselves, who understand that the enemy has no viable military option against Iran, and that the psy-ops and terror attacks we see are actually proof of this (because that's the only thing they can do). The main challenge doesn't come from outside, it comes from domestic liberals and defeatists.
which is why US and Israel are absolutely desperate to prevent it.
They are every bit as desperate to curtail Iran's ballistic missile arsenal and its regional system of alliances. They never intended to be content with the JCPOA and always conceived of it as a stepping stone to put limits on Iran's missile development and to disarm Iran's regional allies. Just recently the German Foreign Minister made a remark to this effect.
This is where the danger of domestic liberals comes in. They are the ones who lie in wait to pressure the Supreme Leader and the IRGC into accepting such limitations. And these liberals are receiving a helping hand from the enemy's massive propaganda apparatus. In this situation, those who focus their wrath on the Leader / IRGC instead of the liberals are unkowingly doing the enemy a service.
They know if Iran gets a nuke, its game over.
They already have no military option against Iran. In that regard, it's game over for them already.
But imagine for a second how domestic fifth-column liberals and infiltrated agents of influence would react if Iran went for nuclear weapons. They'd possibly try to trigger another "colored revolution" like in 2009, threatening to destabilize the entire nation.
Khameini's view that going back to JCPOA is better than getting a nuke in long term or even in short term.
Brother, the Supreme Leader has no faith in the JCPOA. He had no faith in it the first time around. And he totally opposes any renegotiation, modification or additional limitations. On the other hand, the Biden regime is extremely unlikely to return to the JCPOA if certain points aren't revised to Iran's disadvantage. So chances for an effective revival of the JCPOA are slim either way.
All will depend on whether the liberals manage or not to impose their will on the revolutionaries a second time.
After taking losses left, right, and center with first Soleimani and now this,
But beyond their propagandistic and psychological value, in what way have these losses concretely affected Iran's overall geostrategic position? Why is there no invasion, no Syrianization taking place, only cowardly, token acts of terror that are rather inconsequential in the big picture?
Maybe a few high ranking IRGC people will be executed for allowing a nuclear test, who knows. In long term, such a move may benefit IRGC because while Khameini will hate IRGC for last few years until he dies, Khameini's successor will thank IRGC for doing nuclear test before his death so that the new leader can start on a clean slate and focus on other issues like economy.
If they execute people for developing nuclear weapons, then what would prevent them from getting rid of those weapons? I'm just trying to understand the reasoning, no offence.
