The US Is Escalating Against an Iran That May Have No One in Charge
The US military launched a fresh wave of strikes across Iran this weekend, and Iran answered by hitting targets in Gulf states, including Kuwait, where American installations sit. But the most dangerous variable isn't the bombs — it's that Washington is trading blows with a government whose Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been missing since a March 30 airstrike, raising a question few are asking: who in Tehran actually has the authority to stop this?
Bottom Line
This is no longer a ceasefire wobbling — it's an open exchange of fire between the US and an Iran whose chain of command is a black box. Strikes meant to compel accountability assume someone can be compelled. If no one in Tehran can credibly order a halt, each round of escalation buys pressure with no mechanism to cash it in, and the conflict spreads sideways into the Gulf states instead of winding down.