Iran will have to respond to attacks against it as part of defending itself, Hassan Ahmadian, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, tells Al Jazeera.

Speaking from Tehran, Ahmadian says, “The process of electing a new leader is in motion,” adding that a vote could be held in the “coming days”.

Ahmadian also claims that public sympathy for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has increased after Israeli strikes targeted state institutions, saying the attacks had “created more sympathy” among Iranians.

He added that the strikes had not significantly affected Iranian forces’ capabilities because many of the targeted facilities were largely empty after evacuations.