Exclusive | American analyst describes assassination of Iran’s Leader as ‘major miscalculation’

American-Canadian political analyst and peace activist Robert Fantina says the assassination of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, represented a major strategic miscalculation that damaged the international standing of the United States and the Israeli regime.

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چهارشنبه - ۰۷ مهر ۲۰۲۶ / 2026 07 July

Speaking in an interview with IRNA, Fantina said Ayatollah Khamenei’s political legacy was rooted in resisting foreign domination and preserving Iran’s independence.

According to the political expert, “Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei recognized the evils of Western imperialism and the desire of Western nations, especially the United States and the Zionist entity, to subjugate Arab and Muslim people. He fought these wicked geopolitical goals while recognizing that by doing so, Western nations, at the behest of the United States, would demonize and shun Iran. But he was not willing to surrender to these actions and saw that Iran could and must be independent of their influences.”

Fantina also highlighted Ayatollah Khamenei’s inspiration for the regional resistance movement.

He added, “The Ayatollah was instrumental in encouraging and strengthening the ‘Axis of Resistance.’ Iran’s support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine has enabled those countries to continue to exist; despite the suffering of the Lebanese and Palestinian people due to the United States and the apartheid Zionist entity, those countries remain; both of them may be a major annoyance to the US and Israel, but both continue to resist Western and Israeli influence and violence in large measure due to the influence and support of Iran, as directed by the Ayatollah.”

Discussing the consequences of the assassination, Fantina argued that Washington fundamentally misjudged both Iran’s leadership and its people.

The expert said, “The Ayatollah directed the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran by understanding the Iranian people and recognizing the threats posed by other nations. The United States government greatly underestimated not only the strength of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps but also the resilience and devotion to Iran of the Iranian people. The US and Israeli governments believed that the Ayatollah’s assassination would splinter the country, cause civil war, and bring about what they refer to as ‘regime change.’”

“They chose not to recognize his long record of resistance to foreign imperial forces, and this led them to the major miscalculation of attacking Iran. This costly mistake has embarrassed the US and Israel on the international stage and sent a strong message to their allies about the risks of attacking Iran. It is a lesson that many nations in the Middle East already knew, but the US and Israel, and their few allies who supported the invasion, have learned it in a painful manner.”

It is worth mentioning that the funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader began on July 3, 2026, at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Mosalla, attended by senior officials, foreign dignitaries, and religious scholars. The farewell and funeral processions continue through Tehran, Qom, and Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala and conclude with burial at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.