Iranian officials consolidating power for post - Khameini era

jpost.com · Feb 17, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Iranian officials moving to consolidate power for a post-Khamenei era - reportThe Institute for the Study of War assessed that, since June 2025, factions within the Iranian regime are working to secure positions of influence to shape future policies. A protester burns an image of Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran during a protest outside the Iranian Embassy on January 14, 2026 in London, England.(photo credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARDFEBRUARY 17, 2026 20:10Updated: FEBRUARY 17, 2026 21:46Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani are attempting to consolidate their power to defend their positions in a post-Khamenei Iran, according to an analysis published by the think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Monday.The institute assessed that factions within the Iranian regime are now working to secure positions of influence to shape Iran’s future policies, a conclusion mirrored by Dr. Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin.Attempts to consolidate power began shortly after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, when the regime established the Defense Council.The council operates independently of the Supreme National Security Council, “at the insistence” of Ghalibaf, according to Iranian regime-affiliated analysts.ISW concluded that such a move was part of a pattern of Ghalibaf’s restructuring of the decision-making apparatus since the war with Israel.Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf looks on as parliament members chant in support of the IRGC while wearing military uniforms in Tehran, Iran, February 1, 2026. (credit: Hamed Malekpour/Islamic consultative assembly news agency/WANA/Handout via REUTERS)Information regarding the council’s independence has been largely suppressed to avoid signaling internal friction, according to the assessment based on Azizi’s analysis.Roger Macmillan, a former director of the Persian diaspora site Iran International and an expert in military affairs, told The Jerusalem Post that while the move was not quite the same as a full defection, it is a “real sign of a break” within the regime.“It’s an indication of regime stability,” he said, describing the news as “huge.”Information released by Iranian officialsMore interesting to Macmillan was the knowledge that much of the information derived from the institute’s analysis had been released by officials affiliated with Shamkhani.With the official being seen by many as “an internal-king maker within the regime,” Macmillan suggested Shamkhani was looking to “make himself out as the good guy” to keep his resources from Western sanctions.“These guys are survivors, that’s what they do,” Macmillan said. “If the regime is going to fail, they will go for personal protection.”Annika Ganzeveld, the Middle East Portfolio manager for the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, told the Post that she thought the move was less about regime change and more about preparing for the inevitable death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Ganzeveld said it became increasingly apparent during the 12-day war in June, when Khamenei disappeared from much of his public duties and reduced his contact with regime officials, that senior members needed to secure a place under future leadership. Since then, she said, various factions have been “vying for influence.”Tehran’s elite have suspected that Khamenei would give Ghalibaf, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general, a more senior role in the regime, according to a November article from Iranian diaspora site Iran International.The upward trajectory of his position was made clear after the June war, when he was given a more senior role in the country’s war efforts after much of the regime’s top staff were killed in Israeli strikes.Since the domestic protests in Iran fueled further tensions with the US, as the regime pointed blame at Israel and the Trump administration for the demonstrations over the country’s economic crisis, Ghalibaf has been outspoken in his support for military action.Earlier this month, Ghalibaf led chants of “death to America! Death to Israel!” in the Iranian parliament while dressed in an IRGC uniform.