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The Four Paths for a Post-Khamenei Iran
Demonstrators wave Iranian flags and hold posters while chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans in Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The U.S. is hoping for regime change in Iran, but what could happen if the Islamic Republic survives?
By Behnam Ben Taleblu
03.06.26 — International
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The Islamic Republic is at an inflection point. Less than a week ago, the Islamic Republic lost its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a daytime Israeli air strike that stunned the world.

And yet Khamenei’s regime fights on, firing ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities, Israeli cities, Arab civilian infrastructure, and even at Turkey. The question is not whether Iran has changed. It undoubtedly has. The question is how much further it will change, in which direction, and what America will do about it.

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Behnam Ben Taleblu
Behnam Ben Taleblu is the senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank in Washington, D.C., where he is also a senior fellow.
Tags:
Foreign Policy
Iran
Diplomacy
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