US statesman: No clear successor if Khamenei removed

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the consequences of a potential removal from power of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are difficult to predict, as it is unclear who could come to power in the country.

Rubio made the remarks talking to lawmakers at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on January 28, Caliber.Az reports via US media. 

On what happens if the supreme leader is removed, Rubio said, “that’s an open question.”

“No one knows what would take over,” he noted, adding that Iran’s system "is divided between the supreme leader and the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) that responds regularly to him,” as well as “quasi-elected individuals” who “ultimately have to run everything they do by the supreme leader.”

“I would imagine it would be even far more complex than the one we’re describing now because you’re talking about a regime that’s in place for a very long time. So that’s going to require a lot careful thinking if that eventuality ever presents itself,” Rubio noted, referring to the potential consequences of the ayatollah’s fall.

Rubio also said that Washington does not rule out a military operation against Iran that could be preventive in nature. He made the remarks at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while commenting on U.S. military preparations related to Iran.

The death toll from anti-government protests in Iran has risen amid warnings from US President Donald Trump of retaliation against the government in Tehran for the killing of demonstrators.

At least 5,858 protesters have been killed in Iran since anti-government demonstrations erupted in late December, according to updated figures released on January 27 by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

The group said the toll includes 100 minors under the age of 18. HRANA also reported that 11,017 people severely injured and said 42,324 have been arrested since the start of the unrest.

The figures are based on cases it has identified and verified, according to HRANA.

The Iranian government, however, has offered much lower official death tolls, and internet blackouts continue to limit outside verification.

By Khagan Isayev