Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Coma

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, is in a coma this week due to declining health, NDTV claims, a popular news site based in India.

Since October, there have been reports that the Ayatollah`s health has been declining and he is “seriously ill,” IndiaTV reports. In 2022, Ayatollah Khamenei had to cancel several public appearances and meetings due to his health and was on bed rest while monitored by a team of doctors, The New York Times reports. Ayatollah Khamenei has had a history of health problems, including being treated for prostate cancer ten years ago, France 24 reports.

The ideal candidate to be the Ayatollah`s successor is his second eldest son, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei. The younger Khamenei is an Iranian Shia cleric and has been significantly involved with the politics of the Islamic Republic. “In a unanimous vote, the assembly selected Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as his successor,” Hindustan Times reports. According to The Jerusalem Post, the plan is when Ayatollah Khamenei passes away, the younger Khamenei will succeed his position. 

Iran is predominantly a Shia Muslim country with parts of the country as Sunni such as the Kurdish, Achomi, Khorosani, Turkmen, Arab, Talysh and Baluchi regions. If Ayatollah Khamenei were to pass away, there is a possibility that the current regime, the authoritarian Islamic Republic that was instituted after the 1979 revolution, could change, resulting in a different government for the country. According to Ynet, an Israeli daily newspaper, “Iranian journalist Ashkan Hakimi outlined two theories: a new leader could seek better relations with the West, or public unrest could lead to regime change. For now, these scenarios remain speculative until Khamenei’s health status is clarified.” 

There are two possibilities on what could happen when the regime ends. One possibility would be that the country would separate into separate states based on the region. Sistan and Baluchistan, an eastern province bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, could form a Baluchi nation while the Kurdish areas will fight for a country along with Kurds in Iraq, Turkey and Syria starting a war resulting in lost territory and mass killings, according to WorldCrunch news website based in Paris, France. The second possibility would be that Iran could be headed towards a more liberal regime. According to the Center for a New American Society, “Because Iran constitutes the Middle East’s geopolitical pivot point, nothing has the potential to change the region as much as a more liberal regime there in the coming months or years.

In summary, Ayatollah Khamenei`s coma is due to his declining health. Ayatollah has a past of health issues including an operation to treat prostate cancer in 2014. Now there will be a possible transfer of power for the Supreme Leader of Iran from Ayatollah to his son, Shia cleric Motjaba Khamenei when Ayatollah passes away. If Ayatollah Khamenei were to pass away, the regime could have a possibility of changing with either leaning more towards the west or separating into separate states based on cultural and linguistic variety in the region. Another possibility is a more liberal regime for the country. The future of the Iranian government could be in an uncertain state. 

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