Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Ali Vaez, Director of Iran Project & Senior Advisor at the International Crisis Group. While the US sees the outcome as a decisive military victory, Vaez argues that the more consequential story lies in the reconfiguration of power within Iran. From Tehran’s perspective, survival in the face of overwhelming force constitutes a form of victory. At the same time, this war has not left Iran unchanged. Power has tilted toward more hardline actors, particularly the Revolutionary Guard, reshaping the internal hierarchy of the Islamic Republic.