A series of airstrikes in Iran has killed the supreme leader and other top figures, but the country's complex power structure suggests it can continue to operate. The Islamic Republic was born from a 1979 revolution and has maintained a shared commitment to the theocratic system.

Iran’s veteran supreme leader and a host of other top figures and Revolutionary Guards commanders have been killed in US-Israeli strikes but the ruling system has maintained its ability to strategise and operate ⁠in the war that began on February 28. Born from a 1979 ⁠revolution, the Islamic Republic built a complex power structure with layered institutions buttressed by a shared ⁠commitment to the survival of the theocratic system rather than relying on a small number of individuals. Is the new...