that the Islamic Republic will die along with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenehi, who is now 71. For that reason, Takeyh recommends that Washington not make a nuclear deal with Khamenehi. Writing in The Washington Post last week, Takeyh said, “For all his faults, Khamenehi is the glue that keeps the Islamic Republic together. Should the elderly Supreme Leader pass from the scene, the system is too divided and lacks a sufficient social base to easily choose another successor. In the process of consolidating his power and ensuring the election of his protégé [President Ahmadi-nejad], Khamenehi has all but ensured that his republic will not survive him. All this suggests that a transactional relationship with Iran, whereby carrots and sticks are traded for modest nuclear concessions, is unwise.”