Rory Stewart

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Rory, what do you know about Channel 12 in Israel?

Well, I don't know anything about Channel 12.

Somebody just sent me a social media post quoting Israel's Channel 12, reporting Israeli officials believe that Khamenei, his advisors and those responsible for the nuclear program have been assassinated.

I have no idea if that is true or not.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Now, anything I'd say about that, I think that's right.

But I think the comparison with Putin is not necessarily accurate.

I think Putin is an absolute dictator.

I think Kameny is the supreme leader, but I read somewhere recently, somebody said it's less a pyramid structure and more a series of pillars that sort of go in different directions.

And I think a lot will depend.

Let's assume for the moment that this is true.

And I hate talking like this because...

We're talking about sort of hugely consequential global event that we're getting from one person on a trade on his way to a football match telling me his scene on Twitter.

But that you've then got the Revolutionary Guard that is, as we said the last time we talked about this, the RGRC, the last time we talked about them, they basically control the economy.

as well as the politics of this.

So the question then would be, if he were to get to be wiped out, does that then lead to a power struggle to replace him, which cements those kind of pillars and their power structures, or does it lead to real change?

Now, this is going to be so complicated.