War Trumps Khamenei: The death of Ayatollah Khamenei and the opposition inside and outside Iran

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Ayatollah Khamenei's death and the current political landscape in Iran amidst military actions by the US and Israel.

Iran has changed forever.  The US and Israel are firing missiles and dropping bombs on targets across Iran. Senior figures from the regime and the IRGC are being assassinated. Ayatollah Khamenei was killed on the first day of the war. The future of Iran is still being written.  On this week's episode of The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at recent events in Iran, and ask what are the ambitions of US President Donald Trump and the US military. We also look at the opposition inside and outside the country, and who might be able to step up and lead Iran in the future.  We're joined by Charles W. Dunne, non-resident fellow at the Arab Center Washington D.C and Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. And Alex Vatanka,  Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry since 1979. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge ( @hugogoodridge ). Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at  @TNAPodcasts…

People in this episode

Host: Hugo Goodridge

Guests: Charles W. Dunne, Alex Vatanka

Topics covered

• Iran
• US military
• opposition
• Khamenei
• political leadership
• Middle East

Keywords

• Khamenei
• Iran
• US military
• opposition
• political leadership
• Charles W. Dunne
• Alex Vatanka
• Middle East

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Arab Center Washington D.C, George Washington University, Middle East Institute

Books & works: The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy and Political Rivalry since 1979

Places: Iran, United States, Israel

More episodes of The New Arab Voice

• A Growing Gulf Between Nations: Saudi Arabia and the UAE struggle during the war on Iran · June 10, 2026 · 43 min
• The Iranian Shadow Over Gaza’s Future: Hamas votes for a new leader as the ceasefire continues to fail · May 22, 2026 · 47 min
• Guilty by Association Agreement: Settler violence rises in the West Bank as the EU examines its relationship with Israel · May 2, 2026 · 46 min
• Israel's Deadly Ceasefire in Lebanon: The continuing war against Hezbollah and the failure of disarmament · April 9, 2026 · 38 min
• Strait into Trouble: The war in Iran continues as the Gulf gets dragged in deeper · March 20, 2026 · 37 min
• Bending the Knee to Damascus: The Syrian Democratic Forces agree to integrate into the Syrian state · February 11, 2026 · 41 min