Weeks of American and Israeli strikes haven't just killed top Iranian leaders, they've made it far more difficult for surviving officials to talk to each other and coordinate both military operations and diplomacy, reports the New York Times. The account is based on officials familiar with intelligence assessments. One key point:
- "Iran's compromised communications have caused confusion and paranoia among the surviving government leaders, who fear that their calls and messages are being intercepted by Israeli intelligence, officials say. As a result, they have been reluctant to make calls ..."
That leaves a government still capable of launching strikes—including a recent missile and drone attack on a Saudi base—but much less able to orchestrate broader military operations. In terms of diplomacy, the fractured decision-making means negotiators may not know what they can offer—or who has the power to say yes. Adding to the confusion: New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to be seen in public and may be wounded.
President Trump has said a "very reasonable" new group of leaders in Iran has been more amenable to talks, but, as CNN puts it, it's "not entirely clear to American officials whether the regime figures receiving their messages—which have been passed along by Pakistan and Turkey—have the ultimate authority to sign off on any peace agreement, let alone implement one."
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