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The Global Story

The Global Story

What next for Iran?

2 March 2026

27 minutes

Available for over a year

This weekend, Iranian state media confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran with an iron fist for more than 30 years, had been killed in joint US-Israeli strikes. In Iran, his death was met with an outpouring of grief by his supporters, while many across the country and in the diaspora met the news with jubilation and a tentative sense of hope. But what happens now?

President Trump has urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny, and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach,” but how realistic are the prospects of them forming a new – and significantly different - government? And how will the weakened regime retaliate against the US and Israel’s strikes?

Caroline Hawley, Diplomatic Correspondent for the BBC, joins us to discuss.

Producers: Hannah Moore, Aron Keller and Chris Benderev

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A woman holds an image of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters.