The door that opens for Iran's future

The death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in an Israeli attack on the government complex in Tehran, carried out based on intelligence provided by the US CIA, marks a new chapter for the country. Khamenei had concentrated political and religious power for 37 years, and his death is an undeniable shift. A council composed of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a cleric has provisionally assumed his functions until an assembly of experts appoints a successor. However, the Israeli-American attack also eliminated other key figures in the Iranian leadership. The full extent of the regime's weakening remains to be seen, but it has clearly been compromised, prompting Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to call on Iranians to overthrow the religious dictatorship that has ruled them until now. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime has reacted by attempting to escalate the conflict throughout the region, attacking Israel and US bases, as well as other targets in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

It is still too early to say whether the joint US-Israeli operation will succeed and bring down a system that both countries have had in their sights for years. They are confident that this will open the door for them to control one of the world's leading oil-producing countries, which had been increasingly aligning itself with Russia and China. The Iranian regime now faces Khamenei's succession under enemy attacks and at a moment of weakness caused by the country's economic problems and growing social unrest. But this does not mean it will fail, and in any case, it opens a period of uncertainty that could be prolonged. The opposition to the ayatollahs, punished for decades, is not exactly in a strong position.

From exile, the Shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, is positioning himself as a candidate to assume power in Iran and has sectors of support. He has called on officials and security forces to surrender their weapons and help bring down the system; He asserts that any successor to Khamenei would lack legitimacy. He could also be a viable candidate for Trump and Netanyahu, who might seek a more compliant government for Iran. It could also offer Iranians a chance to breathe a sigh of relief after the religious oppression they endure. But a government led by the Shah's heir is unlikely to become a democratic revolution, a real and definitive step forward for the citizens of Iran.

The United States and Israel have perpetrated an attack that violates international law to seize the opportunity to topple the Iranian regime and change the rules of the game throughout the region. But their primary objectives are security for Israel, access to oil, and blocking China's commercial expansion. The rights of the Iranian people, the possibility of their establishing a democratic system, are not their priority. However, the Iranians may have an opportunity to make progress in this regard. Meanwhile, the conflict continues. The bombing continues, and the death toll rises.