So far, the regime has not been shaken. The liquidation of Khamenei practically means nothing — the worst scenario that could develop is civil war, and if that happens, it will not be limited to Iran alone; it could spread across the entire Arab world, — conflictologist Paata Zakareishvili stated this on PalitraNews' program "Day's Newsroom" while discussing ongoing processes in the Middle East.

According to him, today's Iran is a typical Soviet Union, and the collapse of the regime could take years, just as it did in the Soviet Union.

"If anything can be compared to today's Iran, it is the former Soviet Union. Iran's governance is tailored to the will of Allah. The collapse of the regime is not so easy. The liquidation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei practically means nothing. With this, history does not end; a new history begins. Khamenei was 86 years old, he was on his way out, and for 3–4 years now, there has been open talk in Iran about how reforms would proceed after Khamenei's death. There was discussion in Iran on numerous issues, including who would be his successor.

Khamenei died in his office, in his residence. He did not flee, did not hide. He decided to die in his residence. This is a message that he did not run away and met death 'with dignity.' This will cause serious respect among the regime's supporters. The regime has not been shaken yet. What Israel and America can do is completely destroy the infrastructure. Iran can be brought to its knees through disarmament, but changing the regime, just as it took 4–5 years to change the regime in the Soviet Union, will take time in the same way. Or civil war could begin — the enemy's. This would be worse than what happened in Iraq. Therefore, the risks of an incorrect collapse of the regime are very high. The worst scenario that could develop is civil war. If civil war begins, it will not be limited to Iran alone. Shiism is a very strong ideology; it does not come from Khamenei — it dates back to the first centuries.

If the regime collapses incorrectly, as in Iraq, it will not end like Iraq. There will be a chain reaction in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel will not have good days either. If anyone is the most vulnerable in this overall chain, it is Israel. If it were not for Trump, America is truly protected by two great oceans — who protects Israel?! The most profitable today is the Arab world. Iran has struck the Arab world. This is an absolutely idiotic decision. It did not need to do this. The Arab world has grown stronger," — stated Zakareishvili.

The political scientist says there is a high chance that Iran will give up its nuclear program and agree to the conditions of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to him, the nuclear program is a curse for Iran.

"Really, what black stone does Iran need this nuclear program for?! There are many powerful states on the face of the Earth that do not have nuclear weapons. For example, Japan, Germany, Canada, Turkey, and so on. Iran does not need nuclear weapons for anything except the misfortune that regularly falls on its head for years. Because of this, it kills its own people and so on. The nuclear program is a curse for Iran. It would be better if it freed itself and became at least a moderate theocratic state," — he noted.

Furthermore, Zakareishvili states that if the military confrontation lasts several months, it will be a very big blow to Donald Trump and he will lose the elections.

"If the Iranians drag out this confrontation, disobedience for 2–3 months, Trump will lose the elections. It is clearly visible that this will not be popular. He needs to finish all this in 1 week if he wants to score some points. If it lasts at least 1 month and the Iranians manage to drag him into a long-term armed confrontation, if at least 20–25 Americans die, this will be a very big blow to Trump. Starting this before the elections seems a bit strange to me. It would have been better to plan all this after the elections. Iran is not Venezuela. Iran is a very deep situation, one of the oldest states in the world," — stated Zakareishvili.

As for Russia — the political scientist notes that Russia "has never been so humiliated" and cannot help anyone anywhere.

Zakareishvili states that Trump's anti-Russian policy in the Caucasus is clearly visible, and he is not conceding anything to Russia.

According to him, "it is a fact that this works to Georgia's benefit."

"It is a fact that Russia is weakened. That is why they do not need Russia's collapse, because it would be catastrophic for the world. Russia has never been so humiliated as it is now. It cannot help anyone anywhere. At one time, it already abandoned Armenia. Then Syria, Venezuela, now what is happening in Iran — we see. The only thing Russia is needed for by Trump is to balance China. He wants to somehow pull Russia away from China, and this will not work in any way. He has a very short term of rule, and splitting two authoritarian regimes so easily is not possible. Therefore, these games are meaningless," — stated Zakareishvili.

As for Europe and the statements of individual European countries' officials, according to the political scientist, the fact that America did not inform Europe about the operation is even good for the Europeans.

"Europe has never been so strong. The fact that America did not inform Europe about the operation is even good for the Europeans. They will speak more boldly to Trump and more boldly pursue their non-American policy. If he doesn't tell me anything, I think it's good that he doesn't tell me, and on the other hand, I become more independent. Therefore, if Europe does not gain from this, it loses nothing," — he noted.