Eliminating Iran's supreme leader won't be enough for lasting change — expert

Deputy Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Serhii Danylov spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"Regarding the possibility of repeating the Venezuelan scenario in Iran, what matters is how many traitors there are in Iran's top leadership. As I understand it, in Venezuela it didn't happen without work being done with the establishment around Maduro, and the woman who is now serving as president obviously also had contacts with the American side even before her boss was abducted by U.S. special forces. But Iran is a large country. Aviation can operate as it did during the 12-day war, and it can overcome American-Israeli air dominance. Will this change the regime? Are there other tools? How will this affect the protests and the country as a whole? It should be said that Iran has over 80 million people, large bunkers, and plenty of weapons. The main question is - what happens next?" noted Serhii Danylov.

In his view, this is an adventure with quite unpredictable consequences. Iranian President Pezeshkian under such circumstances will not be able to control the situation. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will play its own game. There will be resistance, consolidation of the minority.

"I would like the regime in Iran to change, for external influence to help the protests, and for something sustainable to mature from within. Let this country break apart into pieces - Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Baluchistan. But for these changes to be lasting, eliminating one supreme leader is not enough. That's my position," summarized the Deputy Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

• Protests continue in Iran due to the worsening economic situation. In several provinces, clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement have occurred, resulting in deaths. Meanwhile, Russia has sent cargo planes with weapons to Tehran.

• After more than a week of mass protests in Iran, the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made his first public statement, threatening protest participants with a harsh response. Additionally, he has developed an escape plan from Tehran in case his security forces are unable to suppress the protests or begin to desert.