Regimes die when authority thins out, and the forces meant to preserve the system begin to hesitate, fracture, defect or simply wait. In East Germany, the Berlin Wall lost its political meaning the moment the border opening made it unenforceable. In each case, the end came after something deeper had already broken: the state’s confidence in its own ability to command obedience. The sequence before collapseThis is why a tipping point is best understood not as a date but as a sequence. If the IRGC now appears to dominate more of the state, that does not necessarily mean the system is stronger.

Source: CNN March 24, 2026 18:13 UTC