Iran’s Supreme Chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is grappling with an unprecedented disaster as Israeli airstrikes have decimated his internal circle of trusted army and safety advisers, leaving him more and more remoted on the helm of the Islamic Republic. In keeping with a Reuters report dated June 17, 2025, the 86-year-old chief has misplaced key figures within the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), together with total commander Hossein Salami, aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who led Iran’s ballistic missile program, and spymaster Mohammad Kazemi, all killed since June 13, 2025. These losses, mixed with the sooner deaths of regional allies like Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah and the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have hollowed out Khamenei’s strategic community, elevating fears of miscalculation in Iran’s escalating battle with Israel.
The Devastating Blows
Israel’s focused strikes, launched on June 13, 2025, hit Iran’s nuclear amenities, ballistic missile infrastructure, and prime army officers, killing round 20 senior figures, together with Ali Shamkhani, a key Khamenei adviser and former nationwide safety chief. The Occasions of Israel reported that the IDF additionally eradicated Armed Forces chief Mohammad Bagheri, emergency command head Gholam Ali Rashid, and intelligence official Gholam-Reza Marhabi, severely disrupting Iran’s army management. Two nuclear scientists, Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Tehranchi, had been additionally assassinated, additional crippling Iran’s strategic capabilities. Iran retaliated with missile barrages on Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing civilians, however its air defenses have confirmed ineffective, exposing vulnerabilities.
5 sources acquainted with Khamenei’s decision-making course of described the state of affairs as “extraordinarily harmful,” noting that the lack of these advisers—a part of a tight-knit group of 15-20 loyalists—heightens the danger of strategic errors. The IRGC, which solutions on to Khamenei and has been central to Iran’s inside safety and regional technique since 1989, is especially weakened, with its prime ranks “decimated.”
Khamenei’s Isolation and Choice-Making
Khamenei, who holds supreme authority over Iran’s armed forces, judiciary, and main coverage choices, depends on a unfastened advisory group that meets ad-hoc at his Tehran compound. Characterised by unwavering loyalty to the Islamic Republic’s ideology, this internal circle has been eroded, although political, financial, and diplomatic advisers like Ali Asghar Hejazi, Mohammad Golpayegani, Ali Akbar Velayati, Kamal Kharazi, and Ali Larijani stay influential. Nonetheless, the lack of army experience leaves Khamenei susceptible at a crucial juncture, with Israel’s strikes exposing Iran’s intelligence and protection weaknesses.
Reviews recommend Khamenei was evacuated to a bunker in northeastern Tehran’s Lavizan district throughout the preliminary strikes, a transfer echoed in prior assaults in April and October 2024. Posts on X point out Khamenei’s rising paranoia, with fears of Israeli infiltration into senior ranks, a sentiment Reuters reported as early as October 2024. One X consumer famous Tehran is now looking for a ceasefire by means of Gulf states, signaling desperation to keep away from additional escalation.
Strategic Dilemma
Khamenei faces a bitter alternative: escalate and danger a devastating struggle that might finish his regime, or retreat and face home and worldwide perceptions of defeat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an ABC Information interview on June 16, 2025, likened Iran’s nuclear program to “Hitler’s nuclear staff” and didn’t rule out focusing on Khamenei himself, although U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly vetoed such a transfer, per CBS Information. Iran’s Supreme Chief has vowed a “harsh response,” however analysts like Ali Vaez of the Worldwide Disaster Group warn that all-out struggle might invite U.S. intervention, whereas restraint dangers hollowing out his authority.
Regional and Home Fallout
The collapse of Khamenei’s “Axis of Resistance,” with Nasrallah’s dying in September 2024 and Assad’s ouster in December 2024, has weakened Iran’s regional affect. Domestically, financial crises, environmental challenges, and social divisions compound the stress, with fears that strikes on vitality or water infrastructure might spark riots. Rumors of disloyalty inside Khamenei’s circle persist, with reviews that senior intelligence adviser Ali Asghar Hejazi is negotiating an escape to Russia, although these claims stay unverified.
Sentiment and Outlook
X posts mirror Iran’s precarious place, with customers like @APHClarkson noting the regime’s failure to safe allies like Russia or China, leaving it remoted in opposition to Israel’s onslaught. Others, like @manamuntu, spotlight Khamenei’s private vulnerability to Israeli strikes, amplifying the psychological stress. Whereas Khamenei’s defiant rhetoric persists, his choices are dwindling, along with his internal circle’s losses exposing the fragility of his 35-year rule.
By Worldwide Affairs Correspondent
Revealed: June 17, 2025
