By following fluctuations in the careers of other individuals in Major General Qassem Suleimani's network, we can assess his power in the Islamic Republic.

Should Qassem Suleimani pursue politics, he may be replaced by his deputy, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, who is believed to be directing the IRGC QF’s activities in Afghanistan.

Thirty years after the end of the war with Iraq the leadership of the Islamic Republic faces many of the same challenges that it faced during the war with Iraq, but this time, not even Ayatollah Rafsanjani may be capable of defending the regime against its own mismanagement.

On May 18, President Barack Obama imposed sanctions against Major General Qassem Suleimani. To counter Suleimani and the Quds Force, US strategists need to understand his history of overconfident behavior and military successes.

While the commissars for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) should represent the will of the supreme leader of Iran, today it seems they are speaking for the guards instead of overseeing them; the IRGC is slowly taking over Iran.

Regardless of who wins the Iranian election, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be the true victor because the president is subservient to him.

Large voter turnout for Iran's June 12 presidential election would be a double-edged sword for the country's hardline leader Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is desperate to demonstrate that he is the legitimate supreme authority in Iran.