WASHINGTON: Iranian-American analyst Fereshteh Pezeshk warned that any Iran political transition could descend into chaos because Washington lacks a long-term plan for the leadership that would follow.
Pezeshk spoke during an Iran International town hall at the broadcaster’s Washington headquarters. The panel examined US military operations and political change in Iran amid the wider Middle East conflict.
“The solution is in Tehran, not on the coasts,” Pezeshk said. She argued that Iran’s nuclear, missile and proxy programs reflect the governing system’s political identity rather than separate problems.
Removing Iran’s leadership without preparing for the aftermath could allow an extremist or military-backed force to seize power, she warned.
Pezeshk questioned whether Washington had built an inclusive relationship with opposition groups or established a workable transition framework.
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She also opposed deploying US forces on Iranian territory. Such an operation could unite Iranians around national sovereignty and weaken divisions between the public and the Islamic Republic, she argued.
Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute and Ilan Berman of the American Foreign Policy Council joined the panel.
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Rubin similarly warned that poorly managed political change could produce an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps takeover, according to Iran International’s July 22 report.
Separately, a Polymarket contract showed a 31% implied probability on July 25 that a US-Iran agreement would establish reconstruction funding before December 31. The live prediction-market page recorded $59,321 in trading volume.
Neither source established that Pezeshk’s remarks caused the market’s movement.
