Iran Under Mojtaba Khamenei: Wartime Command, Sanctions and Regime Survival

Iran's leadership, internal decision-making and strategy under its current Supreme Leader, covering power centers and appointments in Tehran, the Revolutionary Guards' posture, the regime's response to war, sanctions and regime-change pressure, and Iran's diplomacy with its neighbors and major powers.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, appointed after his father Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the 2026 war, has consolidated a wartime command as Tehran confronts renewed US strikes, crushing economic pressure and an openly declared regime-change agenda.

This intelligence cluster tracks Mohsen Rezaee's replacement of Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as SNSC Secretary, IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi's return to prominence, President Masoud Pezeshkian's role, and the IRGC's preventive military, economic and security measures against regime change; Iran's response to Trump's economic D-Day and Operation Economic Outcast sanctions on crypto, gold, aviation and shipping; the Baghdad missions of Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani over Iran-backed factions; Abbas Araghchi's channels with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and China ahead of the Trump-Xi summit; Iran's reading of the postponed Iran-GCC Hormuz meeting; and Tehran's recalibrated trust in Russia and China.

Built for Iran-watchers, sanctions desks, US policy advisors and Gulf foreign-ministry analysts.