Who Is The New Ayatollah? What Every American Should Know
Who Is The New Ayatollah? What Every American Should Know  
Podcast: SmartHER News
Published On: Mon Mar 16 2026
Description: 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.  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.  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. 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. 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. 00:00 Meet our guest, Iran expert Benham Ben Taleblu 00:28 Who Leads Iran Now 02:26 Name Pronunciation 02:48 Power Structure Shift 03:48 Is It A Monarchy 05:41 New Leader Background 08:24 Will The Regime Survive 10:01 Defanging Versus Strategy 10:53 Iranian Uprising Momentum 13:14 How To Support Protesters 16:32 Five Part Pressure Plan 18:10 White House Outreach 18:50 Personal Toll And Hope 20:56 Closing Thanks