The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim Ayatollah Khamenei killed: What next for The Middle East? Q&A with Richard Engel
Mar 1, 2026
Breaking news from the Middle East and the shockwaves of leadership loss. The challenges of forcing regime change without ground troops. How diplomacy failed and what drove sudden strikes. Israel’s current military dominance and regional dynamics. The roles of the U.S., Russia and China in the unfolding crisis. Possible futures for Iran and the uncertain succession.
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Regime Change By Air Is Unproven And Risky
- Regime change without ground troops is extremely difficult and unproven at scale.
- The U.S./Israel approach has been “smash and hope”: removing leaders and military capacity while expecting internal opposition or elites to fill the vacuum.
Policy Shift Driven By Fear Of Occupation Costs
- U.S. leaders avoided ground troops because of Iraq/Afghanistan lessons and political reluctance from President Trump.
- The strategy relies on destroying key targets and hoping a domestic replacement emerges, not on occupation.
Diplomacy Interrupted By Opportunistic Strike
- Talks with Iran repeatedly advanced then were preempted by military action.
- Engel describes the decision as opportunity meeting grievance: Iran was weakened and leaders like Netanyahu pushed to act now.