Following a series of Israeli airstrikes that devastated Iran’s military capabilities, the rogue nation is now facing a new crisis.
It’s leader is reportedly close to death’s door.
A report from The New York Times on Saturday noted that intelligence officials believe that 85-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “seriously ill.”
The report noted that Khamenei’s health was a factor the regime was having to contend with as it weighs the risks of responding to a vastly superior Israeli military.
The country’s economy continues to struggle and a war with Israel would likely result in its oil infrastructure being wiped out, which would crash its economy again.
The report also said that it’s because the regime is losing popularity among its citizens that Khamenei “allowed the election of a more moderate president, Masoud Pezeshkian, after the harder-line Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash.”
In addition to internal strife, Israel has decimated Iran’s top two terrorist proxy groups — Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Over the weekend, the Israel Air Force (IAF) destroyed key air defense systems in Syria, Iraq, and Iran as part of its strike on Iran so that it could operate with impunity over Iranian airspace.
The New York Times report speculated on Iran’s succession plan, should the report of their leader being gravely ill be true.
“With Mr. Raisi gone, there is internal disquiet over the possibility that Ayatollah Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba, 55, might succeed him,” the report said.
“The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will have an important say and is considered more willing to confront Israel.”
This is an on-going story. Check back for further developments.