Do not cheer a death notice. Iranian state media says Khamenei was killed, and the world instantly starts gambling on who takes the chair. That gambling is the sickest part, because it treats a nation as a board game and grief as a token. Yes, leaders matter, but systems matter more, and systems rarely soften under bombardment. The vacuum will be filled by those quickest to claim purity and vengeance, not those most fit for peace. If you want a different Iran, you must leave room for Iranians to choose it without being stamped as puppets. The hard thing to defend, in a furious moment, is the idea that not every enemy's death is a victory.