With the bombing paused after 12 days of conflict with Israel, Iran's aging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the country’s weakened theocracy now face the challenge of regrouping and adapting to a transformed regional landscape.
Israeli airstrikes decimated the upper ranks of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and depleted its arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israeli missiles and American bunker buster bombs damaged the nuclear program – though how much remains disputed.
Khamenei went into deep isolation in an undisclosed location, appearing only twice in videos as the Israelis had free rein over the country’s skies.
Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance," a group of allied countries and armed groups in the Mideast, has been mauled by the Israelis since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, incursion. Foreign support Tehran may have expected from China and Russia never materialized. At home, old problems remain, particularly an economy wrecked by international sanctions, corruption and mismanagement.
"Iran’s leadership has been dealt a heavy blow and will be conscious of preserving the cease-fire, which gives the regime breathing room and allows space to focus on internal security and reconstruction," the Eurasia Group said in an analysis Wednesday.
