Almost per week after his appointment as Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei stays in the shadows.
Iranians received their first sense of his considering on Thursday, when a prolonged statement attributed to him was learn on state tv. The following day was each his first Friday as leader and Al Quds Day – events when Iran’s supreme leader sometimes seems in public. But Mojtaba did not.
It’s now been six days since he was named their supreme leader, and the Iranian individuals have nonetheless not seen him or heard his voice.
A supply with information of the state of affairs told NCS Mojtaba had suffered a fractured foot, a bruised left eye and minor lacerations to his face on the first day of the US and Israel’s bombardment marketing campaign nearly two weeks in the past, the identical wave of strikes that killed his father and Iran’s prime army commanders.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s son, a authorities adviser, wrote later that Mojtaba was injured however in a secure place and doing properly based mostly on stories from these in the know. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned he’s “likely disfigured” with out offering any proof, and Israel has beforehand indicated that any new supreme leader can be a goal.
His absence has executed little to dampen the fervor of these devoted to the regime, 1000’s of whom have taken to the streets to pledge their allegiance. The pledge has grow to be a rallying cry as the regime seeks to consolidate assist by means of mass demonstrations, notably in the ultimate days of the holy month of Ramadan.
Yet the continued absence of Iran’s new leader raises a deeper query: Who is really operating the nation at a time of struggle?
For practically 4 many years, Mojtaba Khamenei operated largely behind the scenes throughout his father’s rule, wielding affect however not often showing in public. Now thrust into the strongest place in Iran throughout a army confrontation with the US and Israel, his continued invisibility underscores the altering nature of energy in the Islamic Republic – the place establishments and safety our bodies may matter greater than the particular person at the prime.
A leader in the shadows
State-backed spiritual eulogists have used their pulpits to urge followers to pledge their allegiance, with influential cleric Mahmoud Karimi going as far as to declare that “it says enough about his character that no one has ever seen him,” framing Khamenei’s elusiveness not as vulnerability, however as advantage.
Among regime critics, the new leader’s lack of presence – each literal and figurative – has prompted ridicule.
Doctored photos of Mojtaba Khamenei as a cardboard cutout sitting in the seat of energy have circulated broadly on social media, alongside memes mocking the thriller surrounding his whereabouts.
There is so little verified footage of the new leader that authorities information shops and state-backed social media channels have resorted to circulating AI-generated movies of him to drum up assist.
Videos depict the new leader delivering speeches to giant crowds and standing beside his father at key moments – scenes that by no means truly occurred. Other AI footage present the elder Khamenei passing on the mantle of the revolution to his son, or Mojtaba Khamenei embracing the slain Iranian basic Qasem Soleimani.
“They’re calling him the AI supreme leader,” one man in Tehran mentioned mockingly.
A political tradition formed by fable and historical past
Mojtaba Khamenei has spent years behind the scenes of Iran’s huge political and safety equipment, not often seen or heard throughout practically 4 many years of his father’s rule.
His sudden ascendancy throughout wartime, coupled with the uncertainty about his whereabouts, evokes imagery deeply embedded in the mythology of the Islamic Republic and the Shia theology that it’s anchored to.
Historian Arash Azizi says that the late Khamenei’s “iconic killing” has made for helpful Shia imagery for the regime.
“They’ll naturally try to use the same themes around Mojtaba, whose status as son of a ‘martyred Imam’ who was wounded himself is similar to that of Shia saints from the Battle of Karbala,” mentioned Azizi, who’s a lecturer and historian at Yale University.
Iran’s political tradition has additionally been formed by many years of struggle and disaster. Just one yr after the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, launching a brutal eight-year battle that killed lots of of 1000’s of individuals and reshaped the nation’s politics.
So far, regime loyalists have publicly proven little concern over the new leader’s absence, showing content material to await his eventual emergence.
That expertise has conditioned many supporters of the regime to perceive wartime constraints.
The regime can maintain a time period with out public appearances, mentioned Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at London’s Chatham House suppose tank.
“No visibility does not necessarily undermine legitimacy in the short term, especially if key institutions continue functioning and decisions appear coordinated,” she mentioned.
Some analysts say what issues most in Tehran proper now could be not the visibility of the supreme leader, however the cohesion of the establishments beneath him. Powerful safety our bodies resembling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are seemingly directing wartime technique no matter Mojtaba’s presence.
His appointment to the prime of the political hierarchy may be sufficient to present the political legitimacy wanted to give the army management, led by the IRGC, the political cowl it wants to proceed prosecuting the “Ramadan War,” as the regime calls it, in accordance to plans already in place.
“These elements will likely hold the real power in Iran, not the person of Mojtaba, even if he finally appears in public and heals his injuries,” says Azizi, the historian.
For now, there’s little urgency to parade the new leader earlier than the cameras. He is already serving the functions the regime requires of him.
What stays to be seen is what occurs after the struggle ends.
“Post war, however – or under more challenging circumstances – the political elite, not just the public, will need clearer signals that he is able to exercise authority,” Vakil mentioned.
For now, his location stays secret. And few of his followers are asking why. The new leader has a goal on his again.