New in PJ Media:
The Islamic regime is still in power in Iran, and that’s bad news for the Iranian people and the world at large. There is, however, good news: It is not at all clear who is in charge of the Islamic Republic of Iran at this point, and that could well herald the regime’s coming demise.
The new supreme leader, 56-year-old nepo baby Mojtaba Khamenei, still hasn’t appeared in public since he ascended to his exalted position, and now what Reuters described Saturday as “three people close to his inner circle” are confirming what has been rumored for weeks: Khamenei was severely injured in the airstrike that killed his father. He is so badly hurt that he may never be able to assume the full duties of his position, and all lovers of freedom can hope that his condition is a metaphor for the condition of the Islamic Republic as a whole.
The three insiders, who asked to remain anonymous so as to avoid ending up in Tehran’s notorious and blood-spattered Evin Prison, said that Khamenei was “still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries.” It seems that Mojtaba’s “face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs.”
These “insiders” hastened to assure the world that these serious injuries didn’t mean that Baby Supremo wasn’t performing his duties. The younger Khamenei, they insisted, was “nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp.” Mojtaba is even “taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with Washington.”
Well, maybe. Reuters noted that Khamenei’s “whereabouts, condition and ability to rule still largely remain a mystery to the public, with no photo, video or audio recording of him published since the air attack and his subsequent appointment as his father’s replacement on March 8.”
Yet we have heard from him, after a manner of speaking. Fox News reported Saturday that “despite his weakened condition, Khamenei vowed to put up resistance in a defiant written statement Thursday.” In this written statement, he supposedly said: “Iran is not seeking war but will not forfeit its rights and considers all resistance fronts as a unified entity.”
Terrific, but Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was quick to point out not just that the emperor had no clothes, but that he hadn’t even been seen at all: “It was a written statement,” Hegseth pointed out. “Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father, dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It’s a mess for them. Who’s in charge? Iran may not even know.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
somehistory says
I read this earlier. It’s difficult to know from this distance exactly what is going on there. Especially when it seems the iranians who are running the place don’t even know for sure.
Good news from here
“Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil’s appeal, bringing activist one step closer to deportation”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/immigration-board-denies-mahmoud-khalil-s-appeal-bringing-activist-one-step-closer-to-deportation/ar-AA20xYx3?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=69d88ab5800c46a89d63609e21913d26&ei=47
Westman says
It seems obvious there is infighting for control of Iran among internal factions when agreements are not kept. The Mullahs are incompetent to run the military yet think of themselves and the Supreme Ayatollah they choose to be the highest authority. In an actual existential situation for the Regime, that is unworkable and the IRGC and Basij must make their own decisions.
One could imagine that however the war plays out for Iran, the Mullahs will lose more power to the military. It’s likely the Mullahs are the current influence in the way of keeping any agreements, completely willing, mentally, to spend the lives of all Iranians, and need to be pushed aside. In WWII Japan the Emperor had to receive a mental adjustment to such ideas.
OLD GUY says
The so called great leaders of Iran know that they are dead no matter what happens. If they stay and fight they will be destroyed, if they step down and a new elected government takes over they will have to flee or be in prison or executed. They are between the rock and the hard spot and the rock is about to drop.