According to Reuters sources, the 56-year-old Khamenei has a disfigured face and serious injuries on one or both legs. Mentally, however, he is said to be still in good condition. During his convalescence, he talks with the leading representatives of the Tehran regime by phone and in this way participates in the management of the country, including in matters of war and peace negotiations with the USA.
This information became public just at the time when peace negotiations between the Iranian and American delegations were taking place in Pakistan’s Islamabad. In the current situation, however, they cannot be independently verified.
Khamenei was appointed the supreme leader of Iran on March 8. Since then, however, he has not appeared in public and the Iranian regime has not published any of his photographs, videos or audio recordings. Therefore, speculation has been spreading for more than a month about where he is and whether his health allows him to rule at all.
On March 13, US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth was the first to report that Khamenei is “probably disfigured”. Sources familiar with the assessments of American intelligence services state that the new Iranian supreme leader probably also lost a leg.
According to one of the Iranian Reuters sources, Tehran could publish the footage of Khamenei in a month or two. According to this source, he could also appear in public around the same time. But this will only happen if his health and the security situation in the country allow it.
Powerless leader
Within the framework of Iran’s theocratic government system, unlimited power should be in the hands of a Shiite cleric elected by a meeting of 88 ayatollahs. This leader then supervises the elected president and personally directs parallel non-governmental institutions such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The first Iranian supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, who ruled the country from 1979 to 1989, perfectly fulfilled this idea of unquestionable authority.
Mojtab’s father Ali, who replaced Rúhollah, was no longer so respected as a clergyman, but he had served in the position of president. He subsequently consolidated his position by increasing the power he granted to the Revolutionary Guards.
Mojtaba is much less respected than both of his predecessors. The Revolutionary Guards pushed him to the position of supreme leader, while they hold the real domination over the country. His appointment is mainly intended to mark the continuity of the regime, but according to Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute, it may take years for Mozhtab to acquire the same authority as his father. “Možtaba will be one of the voices, but he will not be the decisive voice. He must prove himself to be a credible, strong and prevailing voice,” said Vatanka.
Mojtab’s public absence will probably not help him gain authority. Although access to the Internet in the country is significantly limited, conspiracy theories about its condition and memes are still spreading on Iranian social networks. One of the most popular is a photo of an empty chair with the inscription: “Where is Možtaba?”
