US-Israel War Fallout: Iran Power Struggle Deepens After Ali Khamenei’s Death As Hardliners Clash With President Masoud Pezeshkian

US IRAN WAR: A week after a US-Israel strike killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, you can see cracks starting to show in the country’s usually tight power structure. 

Post-Khamenei Iran: Leadership Rift Widens

Factions that used to hide their disagreements, hardliners and pragmatists are now arguing out in the open. And with US and Israeli attacks piling up, the pressure on Tehran keeps growing.

The latest fight broke out after President Masoud Pezeshkian promised Iran wouldn’t target Gulf states. Hardliners hated that. They see this war as life or death and want to hit back harder.

Reuters reported that Pezeshkian’s pledge sparked backlash from those who want a more aggressive response.

What happens next? 

Picking a new Supreme Leader was already going to be a mess, but now some of Khamenei’s top military aides are dead, and the leadership is split. 

The Assembly of Experts, the group that actually chooses the next leader, faces a tough choice: try to pull everyone together or risk splitting between hardliners and pragmatists.

With the country under attack and leaders fighting among themselves, it’s a recipe for chaos.

Iran’s Power Structure Cracks After Khamenei’s Death Amid US-Israel War

Khamenei’s death hasn’t just shaken the leadership; it’s also thrown Iran’s military strategy into question. The IRGC, the Revolutionary Guards, have always played a huge role in who leads and how Iran fights. Now, with the top guy gone, their influence could grow even more.

Pezeshkian Faces Backlash

Back to Pezeshkian, he tried to calm things down by apologising for attacks on neighbouring countries. Hardliners weren’t having it. 

They said Iran’s war strategy wasn’t going to change, and Pezeshkian quickly walked back his statement. Hardline cleric and lawmaker Hamid Rasai called Pezeshkian’s stance “unprofessional, weak and unacceptable.” Senior commanders in the Guards were furious, too.

The tension is obvious. A source close to Iran’s leadership told Reuters that leaders are stressing out, especially as clerics push to appoint a new Supreme Leader.

Some want payback for Khamenei’s death; others are still holding out hope for diplomacy. Alex Vatanka from the Middle East Institute put it simply: when there’s a war, the power shifts. Right now, the IRGC, not civilian leaders, are calling the shots.

With rumours flying about splits in Tehran, Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, went on TV to call for unity and deny any big rift.

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