Hardliner Escalation: Khamenei's Early Preparations for Succession
Criticism from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei about the nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of world powers have revealed that he is seeking not only to restrict President Hassan Rouhani's movement regarding domestic controversial issues or relations with the United States, but also to prepare the political landscape for proposing a successor, who will probably be a more hardline figure. This was evident in the latest appointments in the Astan Quds Razavi organization, the appointment of a new Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces as well as the hardliners' control of the top positions of the Assembly of Experts and the Parliament.
