As the 12-day war with Israel concludes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his close advisors have abandoned the location where they took shelter. Their immediate task on hand pertains to a disciplinary response targeted at those who, it is claimed, undercut his authority during the war. Disturbances in the Persian social media highlight that the challenge to Khamenei’s rule was reportedly initiated by reformist ex-president Hassan Rouhani and Hassan Khomeini, the grandchild of Iran’s inaugural supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini.
Khamenei’s discontentment is palpable due to the alleged acts of Rouhani and Hassan Khomeini during the time of his seclusion. As the war unfolded, sources in Iran hinted that an attempt was made by these two individuals to usurp the supreme leader’s place. They formed an alliance with a goal to manipulate the sequence of the power transition.
Both Rouhani and Khomeini embarked on a journey to Qom, a prominent city renowned for being home to the most impactful Shi’ite spiritual scholars of the country. It was presumed to be an attempt to garner support in their favor.
In addition to this, rumors abound that an assemblage consisting of entrepreneurial, political, and military leaders, along with kin of senior clerics, planned a coup to assume control of Iran. Their strategic vision included devising a committee for leadership purposes.
The illustrious aim of this proposed committee was to seize the baton of power, then engage in talks with the United States with an aim to secure a halt to the Israeli offensives. In case of successful negotiations, the mantle of leadership was to shift from Khamenei to Rouhani.
However, there were discrepancies regarding Rouhani’s legitimacy for the post-primary citations being his status as a white-turbaned cleric signifying that he was not a sayyed, or a descendant of the Prophet. The rumor circles had it that in such a scenario, Rouhani’s role would lean more towards mentoring Khomeini.
Yet, the ambitions of Rouhani and Khomeini faced a setback with the announcement of a ceasefire by the United States under the presidential command of Donald Trump. Their aspirations of rising to power were at least temporarily quashed.
Anticipations are rife that Khamenei is considering punitive action against those within the moderate and reformist factions in Iran, who he views as the instigators of this subversive act.
However, a considerable portion of the Iranian population views Rouhani in a similar light as Khamenei. This perspective emerges from the belief that during these turbulent times, Rouhani’s efforts were directed more towards the preservation of the regime rather than welfare of the Iranian people.