Drycleanercast: Espionage, Terrorism & Geopolitics

Israel has killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IRGC's senior leadership is decimated. The CIA is reportedly arming Kurdish opposition forces along the Iran-Iraq border. Phillip Smyth — one of the foremost experts on Iran's Shia proxy networks — joins Matt to make sense of what comes next: why Khamenei's succession is far more fraught than most analysis acknowledges; why the proliferation of "new" armed groups on the battlefield is largely a disinformation campaign run by established militias; the limits of a Kurdish covert action strategy; why a regime that survives under Khamenei’s son would look essentially identical to the one the Israelis just tried to destroy; and Smyth's warning about the apocalyptic messianic splinter groups that could emerge from the rubble of a collapsing theocracy.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Follow Phillip on X/Twitter: https://x.com/PhillipSmythConnect with Phillip on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/phillipsmy