The leadership in Iran has been taken over by hardliners who place ideology above everything – the people and the nation’s survival. That is what they are loyal to. Therefore it is logical that the gaps in the power structure are filled by veterans from the war against Saddam Hussein. They learned to be ruthless, and now they have use for precisely such methods.

The Americans have therefore concluded that it is not possible to reach any agreement. It is win or disappear for both parties.

From Marienlyst Wolasmal continues to trumpet that Iran wishes to drive the USA out of the Middle East for good. On Thursday he said that Israel and the USA should think very carefully before venturing upon a new military adventure against Iran.

There exists not the slightest factual basis for saying anything of the kind. It is an echo of the fantasies in Tehran.

But NRK’s listeners believe that Wolasmal knows what he is talking about. His sources are liberal anti-Trump media in the USA and Tehran.

Iran is in the process of rebuilding the uppermost ranks of the military and the security apparatus after several months of losses in the hostilities, and is largely resorting to well-known veterans – persons whose careers in some cases stretch back to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iran–Iraq war and earlier domestic campaigns of repression.

The appointments come after several high-ranking Iranian commanders have perished in American-Israeli attacks since the war began on 28 February, The National reported on 11 August.
For Washington more is at stake than merely who fills the vacant posts. The reorganisation places experienced hardliners at the head of institutions that shape Iran’s military operations, Iran’s national security policy and internal security at a time of renewed confrontation with the USA.

The appointments do not prove that Tehran has run out of younger commanders or that loyalty was the sole criterion, but the reliance on persons with careers stretching several decades back raises a broader question for American decision-makers: whether the wartime losses have made Iran increasingly dependent on a smaller circle of trusted ideologues – something that potentially narrows the room for compromise, even when Washington tries to press Tehran back towards an agreement.

The former American prisoner Morad Tahbaz, who was imprisoned in Iran in 2018 and released in a prisoner exchange between the USA and Iran in September 2023, told Fox News Digital that he regards the latest appointments as evidence of Tehran’s continued dependence on loyal veterans.

“They continue to rotate the same old people, most of whom are quite incompetent, but loyal to Khamenei father and son,” Tahbaz told Fox News Digital.

The reorganisation encompasses Iran’s conventional military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its naval division, the paramilitary force Basij and the country’s highest national security council.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on 10 August that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff of the armed forces, Kioumars Heydari as his deputy, Ahmad Vahidi as commander of the IRGC, Mostafa Izadi as deputy commander of the IRGC, Ali Ozmaei as commander of the IRGC navy and Hossein Taeb as head of the Basij.

The day before the former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei (71) was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Khamenei’s representative in this powerful body. Reuters reported on 10 August that the SNSC coordinates Iran’s security and foreign policy, and that Rezaei replaced Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, who was appointed secretary at the end of March, after his predecessor, Ali Larijani, passed away.

Ever more commentators in the USA say that Trump must finish the job. The probability that he does so is far greater than that he throws in the towel. Norwegian and foreign journalists fairly rejoice over the USA’s problems. They do not reflect that these are the same forces on which Norway’s defence is entirely dependent.

Trump continues to come with reminders of all the countries that do not stand up for the USA. This will have long-term consequences.

Meanwhile Norway earns grossly from the war others are fighting. As usual.

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/iran-war-news-trump-israel-hormuz-august-19