Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has remained virtually invisible since taking power nearly six months ago, fueling mounting speculation over whether he is gravely ill, incapacitated or even dead — and prompting broader questions about who is currently exercising ultimate authority in Iran.
The uncertainty grew considerably after Khamenei failed to appear last week at a wake in Tehran that, according to the official schedule, he was supposed to host. The Atlantic reported Tuesday on the widening mystery surrounding the Iranian leader.
His failure to attend the gathering has added to questions about both his location and physical condition as Iran navigates an especially precarious political and security environment.
According to The Atlantic, Iran has not released any photograph, video or audio recording that can definitively be established as having been made since Mojtaba Khamenei became supreme leader. Some of the country’s most senior officials have reportedly admitted that they have not personally seen him during that period, among them Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who also serves on Iran’s National Security Council.
The extraordinary absence has helped fuel speculation in Iran and abroad that Khamenei may have been badly wounded during the February U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with a number of other senior Iranian officials.
There has been no independent verification of those claims.
Tehran, meanwhile, has consistently maintained that Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and in good health. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian previously sought to put the rumors to rest by saying that he had participated in an extended and productive meeting with the supreme leader, whom he described as “completely healthy.”
Media outlets linked to the Iranian government have similarly sought to dispel the growing rumors by publishing footage said to show Khamenei. On Tuesday, Fars News aired archival video reportedly filmed before his elevation to supreme leader, the second time this month that such older footage has been released.
Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News agency had previously published an undated recording in which Mojtaba Khamenei appeared healthy.
The releases, however, have done little to answer the fundamental mystery: why Iran’s supreme leader has not appeared publicly and why authorities have failed to produce a clearly current recording showing him speaking directly to the Iranian public.
The questions surrounding Khamenei come as Iran remains under enormous political and military strain after months of confrontation with the United States and Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei was elevated to Iran’s highest political and religious position after his father was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
The uncertainty over Khamenei’s status is reportedly affecting the Iranian government’s ability to function as well. According to The Atlantic, the apparent leadership vacuum has complicated Tehran’s efforts to settle consequential disagreements, including disputes over talks with Washington and growing friction among rival factions within the Iranian regime.
With uncertainty surrounding the supreme leader’s role, Iran’s National Security Council has reportedly taken on greater importance as a venue for collective decisions. That development has fueled additional questions over how much power Khamenei is actually wielding, assuming he remains actively involved in governing.
The stakes are particularly high because Iran’s supreme leader occupies the ultimate position of power within the Islamic Republic. If Khamenei is incapacitated for an extended period — or has died — Iran could face another battle over succession while already confronting military setbacks, economic difficulties and significant divisions within its political establishment.
Reports questioning Khamenei’s health have surfaced before. Earlier this month, IranWire, citing sources with connections to the Pezeshkian administration, reported that high-ranking officials were increasingly worried about his condition and that talk of his possible imminent death was circulating at the uppermost levels of the Iranian government.
Khamenei’s allies have dismissed the reports, while Iranian authorities have continued efforts to portray the supreme leader as healthy and fully capable of carrying out his duties.
{Matzav.com}
