- Iran's new leadership stems from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showing more hardline ideology
- IDF briefed Knesset on Iran's leadership shift following US-Iran ceasefire announcement
- US-Iran high-level talks in Islamabad will address key regional conflicts and nuclear issues
Iran's new leadership is far more hardline than its predecessor, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) told the Knesset during a closed-door intelligence briefing on Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran.
According to a report by the Times of Israel, the IDF said that the new leadership comes from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rather than the traditional clerical elite. The report indicates that the Iran Guards exhibit a significantly greater ideological rigidity compared to the previous political leadership.
US-Israeli Claims On Regime Change
The surprise attacks on February 28, the first day of the war, killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and after the ceasefire, Trump claimed that Iran has "gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!"
The US motives for military action against Iran in 2026 included calls for regime change. However, despite losing its top leaders, Iran's regime remains in charge.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also urged the Iranian public to "overthrow the regime of terror".
"The moment when you must take to the streets, come to the streets in your millions to finish the job, to overthrow the regime of terror that has embittered your lives. Your suffering and sacrifices will not be in vain. The help you have longed for has now arrived. Help has arrived, and now the time has come to unite for a historic mission," he said.
Netanyahu added, "O citizens of Iran, Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Ahwazis, and Baluchis, now is the time to unite your forces to overthrow the regime and secure your future," he said.
A raft of Israeli opposition politicians have criticised the ceasefire with Iran, labelling it a major failure that would take years to recover.
Islamabad will host high-level talks between the US and Iran this Saturday as both nations seek to maintain a tenuous two-week peace. These critical negotiations aim to address deep-seated disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and Iran's uranium enrichment program.
