Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps poses global threat even if Iranian regime is decapitated

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in a perilous position as government crackdowns in Iran seek to violently quash demonstrations against his regime.

President Donald Trump called the Iranian supreme leader a “sick man” in a Sunday interview, saying it is “time to look for new leadership in Iran.” It was only the latest in a series of veiled and explicit threats to decapitate the Iranian government, as protest-related deaths are estimated to exceed 5,000 people.

But Khamenei does not rule alone — standing behind him at the nation’s levers of power is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a military organization with massive influence over the country’s internal and foreign affairs.

If the supreme leader is assassinated, there are almost certainly mechanisms in place for the Guard to