Khamenei’s death is the coup de grace of what was a second precise and audacious Israeli-US military strike on Iran inside a year. The erasure of a figure who was the last of the original cast of the 47-year-old Islamic Republic regime instantly thrusts Iran, and the Middle East, on to a different trajectory. It’s a claim that national security analysts and Middle East experts are dubious about. And the constitution is clear; Congress decides whether we go to war or not, not the president. It’s a contrary decision by a president who has portrayed himself as the peace president and openly lobbied the Nobel committee for its prestigious Peace Prize – which, of course, they declined to award to him.

Source: The Irish Times March 01, 2026 08:01 UTC