Analysts warn of harsher Iranian hardliners after Khamenei’s removal

Following the February 28 airstrike that killed Ali Khamenei, senior Iranian officials were also targeted. Golan highlighted that the successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, is unlikely to curtail Iran’s nuclear opposition, having previously issued a fatwa against weapons of mass destruction.

He warned that the vacuum left by Khamenei’s death could accelerate the rise of ultra‑radical groups, making Tehran’s security apparatus more unpredictable. Golan described the episode as a “historic military success turned into a strategic failure.”

The opposition leader urged Netanyahu to recognise the miscalculation and to adjust Israel’s approach toward Iran, stressing that further military action would not achieve the desired regime change.