From our correspondent at the futures wire — should the oracle of the prediction markets prove correct, Iran's next Supreme Leader is already, in all but ceremony, a settled matter. Kalshi exchange traders have concentrated nearly two-thirds of all wagered confidence upon a single figure in the succession drama unfolding behind Tehran's closed doors, with $114,000 in daily volume lending the figure considerable weight. The stakes, dear reader, could scarcely be higher: the Supreme Leader commands Iran's armed forces, its judiciary, and its nuclear ambitions — a throne that shapes the fortunes of a region and unnerves chancelleries from Washington to Riyadh. Market consensus, it must be noted, is not prophecy; it is the distilled judgment of those willing to put capital behind conviction. Should a rival faction consolidate power within the Assembly of Experts, or should an unexpected health crisis reshape the clerical hierarchy before 2045, the ledger could shift with remarkable swiftness.