<p>Benham Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran program, joins Jenna for a look at Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and what his rise could mean during wartime.&nbsp;<br><br>Taleblu says the regime is hardening under a national security deep state and has moved closer to a military dictatorship, arguing the most important institution is the armed apparatus rather than the clergy.&nbsp;<br><br>He outlines Mojtaba’s background, including ties to the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (a designated foreign terrorist organization by the U.S.) and his reported service during the Iran-Iraq war.<br><br>Benham warns his leadership could be more aggressive and push Iran toward a North Korea-like model. He stresses the need to consider military gains in a broader political strategy, avoid premature victory, and pursue a five-part approach: do no harm, take cues from Iranian protesters, maintain maximum pressure, maximize support for communications and organizing, and fracture the security forces.<br><br>Plus ~ a personal reflection from Benham who has family ties to Iran, and why he has opposed war in the past but discusses a tipping point when he realized the need for force.<br><br>00:00 Meet our guest, Iran expert Benham Ben Taleblu<br>00:28 Who Leads Iran Now<br>02:26 Name Pronunciation<br>02:48 Power Structure Shift<br>03:48 Is It A Monarchy<br>05:41 New Leader Background<br>08:24 Will The Regime Survive<br>10:01 Defanging Versus Strategy<br>10:53 Iranian Uprising Momentum<br>13:14 How To Support Protesters<br>16:32 Five Part Pressure Plan<br>18:10 White House Outreach<br>18:50 Personal Toll And Hope<br>20:56 Closing Thanks</p>