The new Supreme Leader of Iran is not to be messed with, and military games won’t work alongside any response to him. His angle is knowing how we work, and how things operate here is reputed as a special skill that he has.
Iran has to come up from below because it’s in a poorer state than we are. It needs to try. It also works harder to impress, too, because it’s in a region that has room for powers like itself. It has a combative stance in the Middle East.
The future direction is less bombastic because Mojtaba has more local concerns. He’s aware of his nation’s problems, and though he too is hindered by a strong desire for Islamic control, his intent is going to matter more to Iranians, and certainly less to us.
The takeover of power is determined by a progress beyond the legacy of the last incumbent, and while he’s able to strike out on his own, Mojtaba struggles with a respect or reverence for his father that may be a problem for him in future as his status is firmly established.
The Supreme Leader of Iran is beset also by a mysticism that guides public reaction to events. While protest is mostly seen as secular in nature, there are unpredictable undercurrents that create upward swell or pressure which can destabilise any form of power or control there.
His position, however, is to react swiftly and he has proved he can deal decisively with these things – and much more. Iran is now a state of control, and glitches may present openings for more levels of unrest than seen before. But he is a leader who knows how.