It can’t possibly have been this easy. Right?
After the death of Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime appointed an interim ayatollah to take temporary charge of the nation. That may not have lasted long; reports that Alireza Arafi was killed shortly after his appointment have circulated, although they have not been confirmed yet. Regardless, the constitution of the Islamic Republic requires the 88 mullahs on the “Assembly of Experts” to appoint Khamenei’s permanent successor in a vote, which would normally take place in their Qom headquarters.
About that …
Israel struck a building used by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for choosing the next supreme leader. pic.twitter.com/Z79l8WiKqD
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 3, 2026
Come on, man. The Iranians couldn’t possibly have allowed their mullahs to conduct their drum circle at their official building in the midst of a war, right? Not while the Iranian air defenses have been stripped, with American and Israeli pilots operating with impunity in both darkness and daylight? That would be patently absurd.
Of course, it was equally absurd for Khamenei to hold a meeting with 48 of his top leadership in his palace the day after Abbas Araghchi screamed at Steven Witkoff and broke off negotiations, too. This regime has all of the strategic sense of a suicide bomber and absolutely tragic comedic opsec.
And yet …
An Israeli defense source confirms that the Israeli Air Force struck a building in the Iranian city of Qom where senior clerics had gathered to elect Iran’s new supreme leader.
The Assembly of Experts has 88 members, though it is unclear how many of them were at the building at the time of the strike, according to the official.
The Jerusalem Post picked up on Iranian media reports that the building was “flattened.” That doesn’t literally match the images in the video, but functionally, it’s close enough for government work. The state-run Tasnim news agency blamed “the American-Zionist criminals,” but stopped short of disclosing who, if anyone, had been in the building at the time.
Fox News’ Trey Yingst passes along an assessment from Israeli intelligence that, yes, the Iranian mullahs really are this stupid:
🚨 BREAKING: In a DEVASTATING moment for Iran, the IDF has just struck the Supreme Council Gathering where Iranians were meeting to select a NEW Supreme Leader
“What’s LEFT of the leadership was gathering to choose a new leader!”
BOOM! That was fast! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/7rOA7j8AxZ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 3, 2026
For now, I’ll chalk this up as too good to check. This is another good report with which date, have a few laughs, maybe get to second base, but wait to marry until you meet its mother. However, one must admit that this might be the most attractive ‘date’ we’ve had since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.
While we wait for word on the success of the strike, we can discuss the potential ramifications of destroying the Assembly of Experts. This goes well beyond an uncomfortable constitutional conflict in succession. The Assembly of Experts justify their existence as a divine grant of authority as the will of Allah in bringing forth the subjugation of the entire world. The stunning humiliation of the Twelve Day War had to have stripped that pretense away from most Iranians; the destruction of the entire mullah establishment would finish off the pretense and conceit of the “Islamic Republic’s” claim to divine authority.
That could have a tremendous impact on morale throughout the rest of the regime’s armed services, and especially the potential conflicts between them. The IRGC and Basij are the most invested in the divine-authority claim and the closest to the theocratic establishment. The regular military has its own traditions, however, and rumors started over the last two days that the military wants to detach itself from the excesses of the Basij and IRGC, especially in the manner in which they oppress the civilian population. The end of the mullahs could accelerate a split in which the army decides to side with the people and – perhaps similarly to the traditional role played by the Turkish army before Erdogan – position itself as guarantor of a transition to a more secular state.
At this point, that may be a matter of survival. Especially given the stupid choices made thus far by the current/previous leadership all along. Stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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