After the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, fresh fears are rising that Washington may be preparing a similar regime-change operation against Iran. As U.S. warships and fighter jets mass in the Middle East, analysts are questioning what would happen if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were removed. Experts warn Iran’s outcome would be far more chaotic than Venezuela’s, with risks of civil war, constitutional deadlock, or a hardline successor doubling down on nuclear ambitions. Reports suggest Washington may try to shape a post-Khamenei leadership, but Iran’s clerical system is stacked with loyalists unlikely to break from his policies.