August 16, 2026 Shiite women take pictures of a giant billboard that shows the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with Arabic writing that reads: “Thank you Iran”, in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) What is taking shape is an architecture built around institutional memory, loyalty, and coercive power. By Erfan Fard, Middle East Forum Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, or whomever is acting in his name, is not merely rebuilding Iran’s military command but, rather, is constructing a new security architecture for his rule. The appointments …
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