Who’s in charge in Iran after leadership strikes?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 1 April 2026
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Strikes on Iran have killed senior figures, raising questions about who still holds power. We take a closer look at the key players inside Iran’s system and explain how it works, who shapes decisions and what the loss of top figures could mean for the country’s response to the war.
In this episode:
- Ali Hashem (@alihashem), Senior Al Jazeera correspondent
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Sarí el-Khalili, with Spencer Cline, Tuleen Barakat, Catherine Nouhan, David Enders and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Tamara Khandaker.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, Iran's power players. |
| 0:14.0 | Who's left after the strikes? |
| 0:17.0 | The way President Trump is presenting it, that there is a new regime in Tehran. |
| 0:22.2 | I mean, where's the new regime? |
| 0:23.5 | I'm just seeing the old system with new faces. |
| 0:28.5 | With top figures targeted and a deadline looming from U.S. President Donald Trump, |
| 0:34.1 | who's shaping Iran's response now? |
| 0:39.2 | I'm Malika Bilalal and this is the take. |
| 0:49.0 | Hey everyone. This is a rapidly changing conversation and there's a lot to discuss. |
| 0:54.7 | So we want to hear from you. |
| 0:56.8 | What questions do you have about the U.S. Israeli war on Iran and Iran's response in the region? |
| 1:03.0 | Leave us a comment. |
| 1:04.3 | And if you're listening to this on a podcast app, leave us a review as well. |
| 1:08.6 | It really helps the show. |
| 1:12.9 | Hi, al-Hashem, welcome back to The Take. It is really good to have you, especially because I've had the chance to get your analysis and your reporting a couple of times over the course of this U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. |
| 1:27.4 | But this is the first time that you were speaking to me from inside Iran. |
| 1:32.6 | You're in Tehran right now, a place that you have reported from before, but I imagine it must |
| 1:37.0 | feel pretty different right now. |
| 1:39.0 | As Iran's leadership is being targeted, the city is being hit, set the scene. |
| 1:43.8 | How does it feel to be there? Well, Malika, |
| 1:46.3 | thank you very much for having me once again from Tehran this time. Actually, it's completely different. |
... |
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