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How Iran’s Supreme Leader Is Outmatching Trump

The United States appears to be backing down in a test of wills that Iran expert Reuel Marc Gerecht calls the most “important moment since the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein.”

By , a columnist for Foreign Policy.
Iranian youth march with portraits of the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11. Rouzbeh Fouladi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Iranian youth march with portraits of the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11. Rouzbeh Fouladi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Iranian youth march with portraits of the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11. Rouzbeh Fouladi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Reuel Marc Gerecht is a former CIA case officer and an expert on Iran who is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Gerecht, a Persian speaker who tends toward hard-line views on Iran, has devoted much of his career to studying the internal political dynamics of the country, including the rule of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the 30 years since his ascension to power in 1989. Gerecht spoke to Foreign Policy about his concerns following last week’s major attack on Saudi oil facilities, which U.S. and Saudi officials believe was sponsored or orchestrated by Iran. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.  

Michael Hirsh is a columnist for Foreign Policy. He is the author of two books: Capital Offense: How Washington’s Wise Men Turned America’s Future Over to Wall Street and At War With Ourselves: Why America Is Squandering Its Chance to Build a Better World. Twitter: @michaelphirsh

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