CIA Assessed IRGC Likely to Replace Khamenei if Killed Before US-Iran Attacks

Ahead of recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran, the CIA assessed that if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed, hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would likely replace him. These intelligence reports, produced over the past two weeks, did not conclude any scenario with certainty. The US has expressed interest in regime change, with President Trump encouraging an uprising, while nuclear negotiations with Tehran recently failed to prevent military action.