War on Iran Strengthens Regime Instead of Weakening It

The newspaper points out that while many, led by US President Donald Trump, hoped that this conflict would weaken Iran, or even cause its downfall, on the contrary it contributed to re-cohesion of the hard core of the regime around its security and military institutions, especially the Revolutionary Guard. Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed as Supreme Leader a few days after his father's killing, and this transition took place quickly and without any apparent objections. In normal circumstances, the succession process would likely have sparked negotiations and conflicts among various wings and currents. At the same time, the war led to the crystallization of a real strategic awareness within the Iranian authority regarding the Strait of Hormuz, as it realized that its control over this maritime passage gives it a huge lever of pressure and the ability to disrupt it for a long time, as it also returned from its isolation on the Western scene. However, the most serious threat to Tehran in the long term may be economic.