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Source: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-twilight-of-ali-khamenei-c4c95354?mod=opinion_lead_pos5
The Twilight of Ali Khamenei
(Wall Street Journal) Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh - Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 86, the mullah who dominated much of the Middle East, was neutered by the 12-day war with Israel in June and his minions are now effectively taking over. Now when Khamenei pronounces on critical issues, VIPs he once humbled contradict him. The Islamist cadre are too invested in the revolution that Khamenei molded to forfeit their inheritance, so his mission will continue even as he fades. Serat News, a publication close to hardline clerical and security networks, recently stressed that "even if something were to happen to him [Khamenei] today - in the worst possible scenario - the Islamic Republic system can maintain its structure, agenda and revolutionary spirit." Khamenei may have failed in the Middle East, but he has succeeded at home: He replicated himself. Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the CIA, is a resident scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.