A look at who holds the reins of power in Iran

Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow for Middle East security at the Royal United Services Institute, a United Kingdom-based defense and security think tank, said the elimination of so many of Iran’s top leaders will alter its theocracy — but that the change could be a gradual one. “Leadership matters, and the loss of key decision-makers spanning politics, intelligence, internal security and (the) army will have transformative consequences,” Ozcelik said. “The fixation on the terminology of ‘regime collapse’ is obscuring the fact that the regime is already changing” due to the strikes against the country and the killing of high-level leaders. But the full impact of the war on the country could take time to emerge, Ozcelik explained. “We need to be prepared for change that may take years, not weeks or months.”