Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looked like a man staring down the barrel of a gun when he recorded his speech on Wednesday, ruling out surrender to the United States. The words were defiant, but they were delivered in a soft, weary monotone that has left Iranians wondering whether the supreme leader is still in charge.
That is a question that may decide the next phase of Iran’s history, after more than 40 years of an Islamic Republic moulded by Khamenei and his predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini. His regime is tottering from Israeli airstrikes, and a US intervention could be its coup de grâce.
Trump has demanded “unconditional surrender” — a bitter pill for Khamenei and his powerful military aides, but abandoning their nuclear ambitions could save what is left of their rule.
You got two weeks pal.
