The practice dates to the seventh century, when Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of the founder of Shiism, died in Karbala. Is God’s law, or Sharia, as embodied in the Quran, the basis of the regime’s rule, with the Supreme Leader having the last word? Yet supposing the regime does manage to survive and designate a new Supreme Leader, no such individual will start out with the same deference given to Khamenei.” Some of the surviving leaders, notably among the Revolutionary Guard, he said, may feel that “they should run the show, with the next Supreme Leader playing a modest role.”
Author: Robin Wright
Published at: 2026-03-01 22:22:54
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