Iran is on the cusp of experiencing a major political crisis as
regime insiders jockey for power in what intelligence reports indicate
is the coming end to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s 25-year reign as head
of the country.
Khamenei, who rose to power as Iran’s second supreme leader in 1989, was in the hospital last week to undergo prostate surgery.
The well-publicized surgery—coupled with 2010 U.S. diplomatic cables
stating that Khamenei has terminal caner—suggest that the regime is
“preparing the nation and the world for a transition to a third supreme
leader,” according to a report
released by the global intelligence giant Stratfor.