Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

March 4, 2026 — 5:10am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

Despite being badly bruised by the joint US-Israel air and naval campaign, Iran’s Islamic regime has so far proved to be more resilient and resistant. The Israeli killing of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with many senior political and military leaders, has not diverted the regime from its conduct of the war, which is now set to intensify.

The US and Israel’s stated goal has been to bring about a positive regime change in Iran. Their aim has been to disable the regime and empower the oppressed Iranian people, as put by President Donald Trump, to overthrow the theocratic system and take over power once the military campaign is finished, for a democratic transformation of Iran.

Khamenei’s assassination last Friday is a serious blow to the regime but not an insurmountable one. Many Iranian leaders have been killed in the past, (albeit nobody of the rank of supreme leader). Yet they have been replaced smoothly. A three-member interim governing council is now established to perform Khamenei’s functions until a permanent supreme leader is appointed by a constitutional body, the Assembly of Experts.

This factionalised cleric-dominated body will decide to appoint someone from its own ranks or from........

© The Age