Some Israeli and American officials believe Mojtaba Khamenei is not functioning as the Iranian supreme leader and is not in control, two people familiar with the matter have told The Jerusalem Post. One source said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its commander, Ahmad Vahidi, were essentially in control of Iran. Vahidi was appointed to replace Mohammad Pakpour, who was assassinated at the beginning of operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury.
“Members of the IRGC, and Vahidi in particular, are not figures who are willing to make concessions or be perceived as conceding,” Iran expert Nati Tuvian told the Post. “A week after the signing of the nuclear agreement with the Obama administration, the IRGC staged a show of force and launched ballistic missiles during a drill, writing on them in Hebrew that Israel should disappear from the face of the earth.”
US President Donald Trump has recently stopped referring to Khamenei. On Thursday, he told MS NOW: “Iran has no idea who its leader is. They are completely confused... We have effectively eliminated three levels of leadership, and anyone who was even close to the leadership, so it’s hard for them to understand who the hell can speak on behalf of the country. They simply don’t know.”
This contradicts the prevailing view that despite suffering serious wounds to his legs and face, Khamenei remains functional and continues to make decisions, including on negotiations with the US. Khamenei “remains sharp and involved in running the country, which is being managed like a board of directors, together with IRGC commanders,” The New York Times reported, citing Iranian sources. Despite these claims, however, Khamenei has not been seen publicly nor has he released any audio recording since ostensibly assuming the position of supreme leader after his father was assassinated at the start of the war. (Read More)
