Iran: On Saturday, America and Israel together launched powerful airstrikes on Iran, which shook the unshortened West Asia. The biggest target of these attacks was the headquarters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. For 86-year-old Khamenei, who has been in power in Iran since 1989, this has wilt the biggest threat to his 36-year-long rule.
Is this the most difficult time for Khamenei?
Sources say that Khamenei was shifted to a unscratched place plane surpassing the attack, but satellite photos unmistakably show that his recipe has been heavily destroyed. For decades, Khamenei has crushed domestic rebellions and maintained his power through proxy wars, but this time the situation is completely different.
This year they carried out the bloodiest repression since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with protesters firing directly at protesters. Their position outside is moreover weakening—Hezbollah is collapsing in Lebanon, and Assad's government has fallen in Syria.
In the last one year, Israel and America destroyed many nuclear and missile sites of Iran, which significantly reduced Khamenei's strategic power. Still, they are not ready to requite up ballistic missiles, considering this is their last shield.
How did he become 'Iron Man'?
When Khamenei was made Khomeini's successor in 1989, everyone considered him weak. He had neither the charisma like Khomeini nor the religious status. But he cleverly made the IRGC (Revolutionary Guards) so strong that they became directly loyal to him.
His thinking was unchangingly anti-Western, but he moreover showed flexibility when needed. The 2015 nuclear deal was tried so that the sanctions could be lifted and the government could be strengthened. In 2018, Trump tapped the deal and became strict again.
What is the real power of authority?
Khamenei's unshortened power rests on two things—IRGC and his huge economic empire, 'Setad.' This organization, worth billions of dollars is directly under their tenancy and the money is used to strengthen the security forces.
The 2009 referendum protests, the 2022 Mahsa Amini movement or the recent economic turmoil—each time brutally crushed by Basij militias and guards.
Khamenei, who lost his right hand in a flop wham in 1981, is seen by his followers as a man who will go to any lengths to protect the Islamic Republic. Today he is considered the most powerful leader of Iran, but these attacks have raised a big question on his fortress-like security.
Does Khamenei have any relation with India?
Khamenei has a special relationship with India, which is linked to his family. His siblings were from Kintoor village in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. His prototype named Syed Ahmed Moosavi reached Iran via Iraq virtually 1830. This is a kind of emotional connection that is still working today.
Overall, these attacks are challenging not just military whoopee but Iran's unshortened system. The coming days will tell whether Khamenei's rule is on the verge of ending or whether a new war will begin. The situation is very delicate, there is snooping all over the world.
