28 February 2026
Larry C. Johnson
Donald Trump and the neocons are wild with joy tonight over the murder of the Ayatollah Khamenei… This is just one more example of Western ignorance about the implications of the Ayatollah’s martyrdom. Let’s start with the fact that the Ayatollah is the one who issued the fatwa 36 years ago declaring that it would be a sin for Iran to build or use a nuclear bomb. So the West thinks that killing the one guy who has been the main obstacle preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is a good idea?
The Shi’a communities across the region took to the streets to protest and mourn the Ayatollah’s passing. In neighboring Baghdad a large crowd of Shi’a are now trying to breach the Green Zone. Iraqi security forces are trying to hold them back. This assassination by the United States and Israel was intended to weaken the Islamic Republic and set the stage for regime change. I think it will have the opposite effect, i.e., strengthen support for the government and bolster the status of hardliners who have zero inclination to compromise with the West.
It is barely 24 hours since Israel and the US launched the decapitation strikes and Iran — within 90 minutes of the first attack — began launching counterstrikes targeting all US military installations and bases in the region. Last June, following the decapitation strikes, it took Iran almost 12 hours to pull itself together and launch missiles towards Israel. Today Iran has responded by hitting both Israel and key targets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain,Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. An Iranian general appeared on Iranian TV and vowed to hit Israel and the US forces in the region with a new type of weapon.
Trump and the neocons continue to believe that the support for the Islamic Republic is shallow and fragile. But judging from the reaction of the Iranians to the murder of the Ayatollah, I think Iran is now fully committed to a war of attrition. The advantages the US currently enjoys are likely to dissipate if this war continues for several weeks. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic will inflict severe economic harm to the global economy if the IRGC is able to keep it closed.
The odds are high that the Iranian attacks on US military installations and Israel will escalate in coming days. The US airbase in Erbil is under attack; the CIA station in Dubai has been hit with a missile as well as a Kuwaiti air base that is hosting US aircraft. Let’s see what the next 24 hours brings.
Judge Napolitano and I held an emergency chat today to discuss the aftermath of the decapitation strike:
Larry C. Johnson
Donald Trump and the neocons are wild with joy tonight over the murder of the Ayatollah Khamenei… This is just one more example of Western ignorance about the implications of the Ayatollah’s martyrdom. Let’s start with the fact that the Ayatollah is the one who issued the fatwa 36 years ago declaring that it would be a sin for Iran to build or use a nuclear bomb. So the West thinks that killing the one guy who has been the main obstacle preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is a good idea?
The Shi’a communities across the region took to the streets to protest and mourn the Ayatollah’s passing. In neighboring Baghdad a large crowd of Shi’a are now trying to breach the Green Zone. Iraqi security forces are trying to hold them back. This assassination by the United States and Israel was intended to weaken the Islamic Republic and set the stage for regime change. I think it will have the opposite effect, i.e., strengthen support for the government and bolster the status of hardliners who have zero inclination to compromise with the West.
It is barely 24 hours since Israel and the US launched the decapitation strikes and Iran — within 90 minutes of the first attack — began launching counterstrikes targeting all US military installations and bases in the region. Last June, following the decapitation strikes, it took Iran almost 12 hours to pull itself together and launch missiles towards Israel. Today Iran has responded by hitting both Israel and key targets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain,Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. An Iranian general appeared on Iranian TV and vowed to hit Israel and the US forces in the region with a new type of weapon.
Trump and the neocons continue to believe that the support for the Islamic Republic is shallow and fragile. But judging from the reaction of the Iranians to the murder of the Ayatollah, I think Iran is now fully committed to a war of attrition. The advantages the US currently enjoys are likely to dissipate if this war continues for several weeks. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic will inflict severe economic harm to the global economy if the IRGC is able to keep it closed.
The odds are high that the Iranian attacks on US military installations and Israel will escalate in coming days. The US airbase in Erbil is under attack; the CIA station in Dubai has been hit with a missile as well as a Kuwaiti air base that is hosting US aircraft. Let’s see what the next 24 hours brings.
Judge Napolitano and I held an emergency chat today to discuss the aftermath of the decapitation strike:
