Iran’s Khamenei is cornered and prone to errors as Israel hits his inner circle

The supreme leader finds himself isolated by the losses of his key security advisers, raising the risk of strategic miscalculations

Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cuts an increasingly lonely figure.

Khamenei has seen his main military and security advisers killed by Israeli air strikes, leaving major holes in his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.

One of those sources, who regularly attends meetings with Khamenei, described the risk of miscalculation to Iran on issues of defence and internal stability as “extremely dangerous”.

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