In Iran, 2024 is all about the succession

By Nicolas Pelham

As conflict again rages in the Middle East, one issue continues to fixate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 84-year-old supreme leader—the survival of his regime. War in Gaza; escalation in the region’s Shia heartlands of Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen; America’s floating military bases off its shores; and above all, the ructions of his disgruntled population: all his challenges will be seen through the prism of ensuring that his system, wilayat al-faqih, or clerical rule, continues after his death.