Iran's Supreme Ruler Disappears: NYT Reports on Power Struggle in Bombed-Out Country
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah (an honorary title among Shiite Muslims) Ali Khamenei, 86, has not been seen in public for nearly a week. The absence has surprised and confused everyone from political insiders to the general public, prompting speculation in Iran of a coup.
The New York Times writes about this in more detail.
On Tuesday, an Iranian state television presenter asked a question that has been on the minds of many people in Iran.
“People are very concerned about the supreme leader,” the anchor told an official in Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office on Tuesday. “Can you tell us how he is doing?”
But official Mehdi Fazaeli, head of Khamenei's archive department, did not give a direct answer.
Khamenei, who has the final say on key decisions in Iran, has not been seen or heard from publicly for nearly a week, despite the extraordinary crisis his country faces.
The ayatollah was holed up in a bunker and kept out of electronic communication to prevent assassination attempts, officials said. There was no official information about his condition or his involvement in key decisions.
His public silence has led to a flurry of speculation and doubt: How involved was Khamenei in the latest ceasefire decisions with Israel? Is he in control of the country? Is he injured, sick, or even alive?
In the absence of the ayatollah, politicians and military commanders are forging alliances and jockeying for power. These factions have different visions of how Iran should advance its nuclear program, negotiations with the United States and confrontation with Israel.
The faction that now appears to have the upper hand is pushing for moderation and diplomacy, four officials said. It includes Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has publicly pledged to return to the negotiating table with the United States even after Trump bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. Pezeshkian’s allies include the head of the judiciary, who is close to the supreme leader, and the new commander of the armed forces.
According to the publication, the Iranian government is trying to ride the wave of nationalist fervor that has arisen in response to devastating Israeli airstrikes.
But there are other factions also vying for influence, officials say.
A rival conservative faction, led by influential hard-liner Said Jalili, publicly criticized the president and his foreign minister, questioning the legitimacy of what it called the “surprise” ceasefire and condemning any return to nuclear talks with the US.
Earlier it was reported that Ali Khamenei had chosen three successors who could replace him in the event of his sudden death.
