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Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was targeted by an “internal offensive” aimed at pushing him aside, allegedly driven by former President Hassan Rouhani.
By Shmuli Volkin, Jewish Breaking News and United with Israel
Le Figaro reported that, according to multiple sources it interviewed, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was targeted by an “internal offensive” aimed at pushing him aside, allegedly driven by former President Hassan Rouhani, just before the repression began on the night of Jan. 8–9, when protests were at their peak.
The claim lands amid an unprecedented crackdown.
The official who blocked the effort, Ali Larijani, has since taken on wide-ranging authority and is now described as effectively running the country.
“Larijani is not the only one the supreme leader trusts. Ali Shamkhani, for example, is also there. So even if Larijani is dominant, he is not a ‘supreme ruler,’” said Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow in the Iran Program at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former head of the Iran branch in Israeli military intelligence. Ynet reported.
Citrinowicz also cautioned against taking reports from Iran as necessarily true. However, if accurate, it would appear Iran seeks to continue functioning if Khamenei is killed or incapacitated, he said, according to the report.
“Even if that happens, there will not be another supreme leader in the same sense,” he said. “The principle of rule by Islamic jurist remains central to the regime.”
“In principle, the president’s status is more significant than that of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council,” he continued. “But Pezeshkian’s lack of experience, alongside the trust Larijani enjoys from the leader and his extensive experience, likely gives him the upper hand in the leader’s eyes.”
Reports from inside Iran describe mass arrests and lethal force. The Associated Press notes Jan. 8–9 as the deadliest days of the repression, with rights groups citing thousands killed while the regime issued far lower figures.
Le Monde also reported nationwide internet shutdowns and open chants of “Death to Khamenei” as the demonstrations surged.
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