Sebastian Usher

From the perspective of the U.S.

and Israel, I mean, there couldn't have been a better start to this campaign to have taken out the supreme leader in the opening hours.

I mean, it seems clear now that that was the reason why the attack took place when it did, because the opportunity presented itself.

I mean, last summer during the 12 day war, President Trump had spoken about it.

The U.S.

and Israel's ability to kill Khamenei if they wanted to, but there seemed a sense then that Trump was holding back from that.

The fact that they have targeted him and done so successfully shows the huge gulf between what happened then and what's happening now, that this is aimed at a complete root and branch change in the way that the Iranian regime is functioning, if it continues to function at all.

As far as the regime itself is concerned, I mean, obviously, it's a huge blow practically and symbolically.

But I mean, it has to be taken into account that Khamenei wasn't a dictator as such.

He was the main authority.

He was the final decision maker in Iran.

He held the true reins of power.

But the kind of system that had involved under the decades of

of his supreme leadership was one in which a number of regime institutions have become extremely powerful beneath him and around him.

And as far as the regime is concerned, they will be hoping that those can withstand this blow and that they will be able to

Sebastian Usher.

This was a massive building, 400 metres by 400 metres, and it was going to have the biggest, with a dome, the biggest AI kind of projection facility ever.

So you would enter it and you'd enter these new worlds, essentially.

And I think it's a retrenching of a number of these extraordinary projects.

Partly because economic reality is hitting home a little bit.