
President Trump has said he wants a role in selecting Iran’s next leader and has publicly criticized potential successors, increasing the political stakes of the conflict. Reports that some Iranians celebrated word of the supreme leader's death, together with intense bombardment and calls for uprising, could produce a chaotic succession or strengthen hardliners instead of enabling a stable transition. Analysts warn that overt U.S. intervention and implied strikes make negotiated succession harder and raise the risk of broader regional confrontation.
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