Amid scenes of celebration and mourning, the formation of an interim government and ongoing bombings, Iran has entered a period of profound uncertainty, where the Islamic Republic's very survival and the reshaping of its internal balance of power are at stake.Iranians awoke in disbelief on Sunday, March 1. Those who loathed the Islamic Republic struggled to believe that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 86, who ruled the country for 37 years, had been killed the previous day in Israeli-American strikes. For supporters of the regime, tears were not enough to express the loss of their "leader." Overnight, as Israeli and then American statements confirmed Khamenei's death, Iranians opposed to the regime shouted with joy from their windows and chanted slogans such as "Down with the dictator!" or "Long live the king!" – a reference to Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The boldest took to the streets, dancing and honking their horns in celebration. At 5 am local time, state television confirmed the supreme leader's death in a special broadcast. His supporters, dressed in black, gathered in the main squares of Tehran and other cities, such as Isfahan, to begin mourning. 'Major turbulence' Khamenei's death has thrust Iran – under Israeli and American pressure – into a period of uncertainty in which internal rivalries at the top of the regime could intensify. "We have entered a period of major turbulence," said Arman Mahmoudian, a researcher at the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. You have 85.77% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. --- Original source: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/03/02/iran-s-regime-scrambles-to-survive-after-ali-khamenei-s-death_6751012_4.html
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