Loading ...Iran power struggle could derail nuclear deal
There are mounting fears that a deepening power struggle in Tehran over the succession for the powerful position of Supreme Leader could derail attempts to negotiate a deal over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Western diplomats involved in the negotiations believe the increasingly frail health of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the regime’s current Supreme Leader, has prompted a fierce power struggle between rival contenders as they jostle for the succession.
Concerns have grown over the health of Mr Khamenei, the country’s leading hardliner, after the 75-year-old underwent a series of operation for prostate cancer.
Recent reports in the Iranian media have suggested that his condition is terminal, and that the man who had dominated Iranian politics since the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolution’s founding father, in 1989 only has months to live.