Iran, crisis after the death of Nasrallah. “Cracks in the government on the response to Israel” –

The killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has shocked Iran and is creating divisions within Tehran’s power structure. This was revealed by the New York Times, according to which «cracks have opened within the Iranian government on how to respond to the murder, with conservatives supporting an energetic response and moderates, led by the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who they ask for moderation.” «In the turbulent landscape of the Middle East, the elderly supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has always been able to count on the close alliance and deep friendship of Nasrallah», but adds «when Israel killed him it suddenly swept away a singular force in the hierarchy of Khamenei’s close collaborators” leaving “Iran and its supreme leader in a vulnerable position”.

According to what the American newspaper reported, which spoke to 4 Iranian officials who knew Nasrallah personally and had been informed about the events, Khamenei “was deeply shaken by the death of his friend, despite taking a calm and pragmatic position”. Khamenei made it clear that Hezbollah, not Iran, would lead any response to Israel, and that Iran would play a supporting role: «All resistance forces support Hezbollah. It will be Hezbollah, at the helm of the resistance forces, that will determine the fate of the region,” Khamenei said.

“I’m completely under Israel’s thumb right now,” said Sanam Vakil, Middle East director at Chatham House. “Khamenei’s statement is indicative of the gravity of the moment and of caution.” “This was an incredibly hard blow and, realistically speaking, we have no clear path to recover from this loss,” Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice president of Iran, said in an interview. «We won’t go to war, that’s out of the question. But Iran will not change course in supporting militant groups in the region, nor in defusing tensions with the West. All these things can be pursued at the same time.”