#iranian-power-dynamics

#iranian-power-dynamics

In the past two months, conflict in Iran has created an energy crisis - the latest in a series. Oil prices spiked within days of the start of US, Israeli and Iranian bombing in the Gulf region on 28 February.

Washington's military objectives have shifted significantly, moving from a focus on regime change to merely claiming success in its operations against Iran.

The Treasury Department posted the license on its website late Friday, allowing countries to purchase Russian oil loaded on vessels from Friday through May 16.

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.

Pahlavi pledged to lead a transition to a 'free and democratic Iran.' He called on President Trump to continue the American-Israeli military operation against Iran, in the hope of displacing a regime he decried for placing a 'sea of blood' between itself and its people.

In Iran today, the central question is not who will replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but rather who is best positioned to decide how that transition would be managed. The question matters because, in the Islamic Republic, such a transition would not only be a constitutional issue. Above all, it would be a test of cohesion among institutions, factions, and security apparatuses.