Why Iran's regime, facing internal and external threats, has no clear leader in waiting
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, will soon need a successor, but no clear heir apparent exists, complicating the regime's future amid ongoing nationwide protests.
- The Iranian regime remains deeply divided internally, with significant repression of opposition figures, while mass protests have yet to translate into political change.
- Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the former shah, is a prominent opposition figure advocating for democratic transition, but his actual support inside Iran is uncertain and complicated by his controversial stances.
- Potential internal successors include Khamenei's son Mojtaba and senior regime figures like Ebrahim Raisi (deceased), Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalib
