Report: Iranian leadership's fears grow that a U.S. strike could undermine its grip on power

SadaNews - Fears are growing within the Iranian leadership that a U.S. strike could undermine its grip on power and bring popular protests back to the streets amid increasing public anger, according to six current and former officials who spoke to Reuters. According to the report, senior officials conveyed to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that public anger over the bloody crackdown launched last month has reached a level where fear is no longer a deterrent. The officials said, according to a translation from SadaNews, that Khamenei was informed that many Iranians are ready to confront security forces again, and that external pressure, such as a limited U.S. strike, could encourage them and inflict irreparable damage on the regime's forces. "An attack accompanied by demonstrations from angry crowds could lead to the collapse of the ruling regime. This is the primary concern among senior officials, and this is precisely what our enemies want," one source stated in the report. It was not mentioned how Khamenei responded to these statements. On another note, Reuters reported that representatives from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries will participate in the U.S.-Iran summit in Turkey. This event is expected to be different from the rounds of negotiations between Weitkopf and Araqchi as we knew them before the war.