Iranian regime still strong, far from collapse: report

Israel says it will not allow Iran’s current leadership to remain in power after the war.

By World Israel News Staff

The Islamic regime governing Iran is not on the verge of collapse, and its leadership structure largely remains intact, according to a new report.

Three sources with insider information on the situation told Reuters that despite the killing of much of Iran’s senior leadership — including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the opening phase of the war two weeks ago — the regime still maintains a strong grip on the country.

According to the sources, numerous intelligence assessments examining the possibility of regime change have produced a “consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger” of being toppled.

A source familiar with the intelligence findings told Reuters that the current leadership is still broadly viewed as the authority within the country and continues to exercise control over the Iranian public.

An Israeli official, speaking anonymously to the news agency, said there is “no certainty” that the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have succeeded in splintering the regime or triggering events that would lead to the government’s collapse.

However, another Israeli source stressed that Israel would not allow Iran’s current leadership to remain in power once the war ends.

The resilience of the Iranian regime has complicated the timeline for ending the conflict for both the United States and Israel, raising questions about what the ultimate political outcome of the war will be.

President Donald Trump has recently walked back earlier comments suggesting that regime change was one of the war’s objectives. Instead, he has said that it would ultimately be up to the Iranian people to rise up and remove the Islamic regime from power.

Analysts say the regime has sought to use recent events to rally support among its remaining loyalists.

“The core of the Islamic Republic is still in place and has not gone anywhere,” Nikita Smagin, an Iran researcher and analyst, told the Times of Israel.

“The killing of Ali Khamenei, mass demonstrations of support in Pakistan, the downing of American aircraft in Kuwait (even though it was friendly fire) — all these things are being used to mobilize the regime’s support base,” he said.

Smagin added that “at least between 20% and 30% of the population — members of the security forces, officials, clerics, and others — are still very loyal to this regime.”