The Iranian government is still intact despite targeted assassinations. Their command and control structure is still operational – they launched missiles at Israel and other regional neighbors. They still claim the capacity to shut down traffic through the straights of Hormuz. They are also still capable of launching missile strikes into other countries and shooting down aircraft. This is six weeks after the US started to strike targets in Iran.
For these reasons Pete Hegseth‘s grade has dropped to a sold “F-.” He’s incompetent and should be removed. The Iranian military should not be capable of these kinds of attacks this far into the game.
Statements have been issued by the new Ayatollah in charge Motjaba Khamenei. No one has seen him and some say the statements, read by someone else on state media, do not prove he is still alive. Another potential leader is Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian has tried to present a more moderate face for the regime. Even apologizing after the 30K+ deaths inflicted on pro democracy protesters but before the execution of teenage wrestlers.
Donald Trump made the claim the Israeli’s killed his first and second choices to run Iran. Playing it off because Capt McCoy isn’t the only one hip to this shit.
The current US military action wasn’t intended to help the pro democracy movement in Iran. It’s intended to sabotage it just like in Venezuela. Something went wrong along the way.
Destroying Iranian civilian infrastructure in lieu of hitting military targets will do more to take the steam out of the pro democracy Iranian protest movement than it will the Iranian Theocracy.