Forced Retirement
It remains unclear whether Iran’s regime is losing its grip on the country. It’s much more clear that being a leader in that regime can be a dead-end job. “Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, were ‘eliminated last night,’ Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Larijani was considered one of the most powerful figures in the country since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.”
+ “Mr. Larijani, the head of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was the de facto leader of the country after U.S.-Israeli airstrikes killed the upper echelons of government and the military early in the war. He was known to be trusted by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader who was killed at the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign late last month. Mr. Larijani’s responsibilities had grown steadily over the past few months, including overseeing the brutal crackdown on antigovernment protesters in January.” But could the void his death leaves be filled by even more extreme hardliners? NYT (Gift Article): Israel’s Killing of Ali Larijani Could Allow Military to Tighten Grip on Iran.
+ Joe Kent, a Top U.S. Counterterrorism Official, Resigns Over the Iran War. Kent has a history of pushing conspiracy theories, has been a key advisor to Tulsi Gabbard, and is buds with Tucker Carlson. Still, his departure “bluntly exposes how the Iran war is expanding fissures in President Trump’s coalition.”
+ UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach. “Powell’s presence at the talks, and his close knowledge of how they were progressing, was confirmed by three sources. One source said he was in the building at Oman’s ambassadorial residence in Cologny acting as an adviser, reflecting widespread concern about the US expertise on the talks represented by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy on several issues.”
+ Jared Kushner Reportedly Seeks $5B From Middle East Governments for His Firm While Serving as Envoy. (He is charged with solving all the world’s most complex problems and he still has time to manage his investment fund. Now that’s multitasking.)
+ “The window for Donald Trump to end the Iran war by simply declaring victory and walking away is rapidly closing. Soon he will face a stark choice: He can take greater risks in pursuit of a decisive tactical success, prepare the country for a prolonged conflict that could last for many months, or seek a negotiated settlement that involves a real compromise with Tehran.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Disappearing Off-Ramp in Iran.
+ “President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that one of his predecessors told him he wished he had been the one to bomb Iran.” The only problem with that: He didn’t speak to any of the four former presidents.
