Iran's regime maintains its grip, despite devastating losses

"Iran, the officials say, was prepared for this conflict. The command structures built to survive a decapitation strike appear to remain substantially intact, allowing Iranian retaliatory strikes to begin against Israel, Qatar and Bahrain within hours of the initial attacks."

"But so far, some six days into a war that has now touched 12 countries across the Middle East, major military operations have not threatened the Iranian regime's grip on power, according to European and Arab officials briefed on assessments of the regime's standing since the conflict began."

"And inside the country since the conflict began, Iranians report a heavier security presence in city streets, with Basij paramilitary forces patrolling on motorbikes."

A coordinated U.S. and Israeli air campaign has killed senior Iranian political and military leaders, destroyed command-and-control infrastructure, and damaged civilian areas across Iran. The strikes have disrupted Iran's succession process following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, forcing remote voting for his replacement. However, according to European and Arab officials, the Iranian regime was prepared for this conflict and maintains operational capability. Iranian command structures designed to survive decapitation strikes remain largely functional, enabling retaliatory operations against Israel, Qatar, and Bahrain within hours. Inside Iran, increased security presence and paramilitary patrols indicate regime stability. Despite the scale of destruction and leadership losses, no significant defections from the regime have been reported.

Read at The Washington Post