With the country attentive, the Iranian state television host asked the question that so many people in Iran – from the political elite to ordinary citizens – were doing.
“People are very concerned about the supreme leader,” the presenter told an Aiatollae Office employee Ali Khamenei on Tuesday (24). “Can you tell us how he is?”
He pointed out that viewers sent a flood of messages asking the same thing. But the authority, Mehdi Fazaeli, head of the Khamenei file, did not give a direct answer.
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Instead, Fazaeli said he also received numerous consultations from authorities and others concerned with Ayatollah after the intense campaign of bombing by Israel and the United States.
“We should all pray,” said Fazaeli.
“People responsible for protecting the supreme leader are doing their work,” he added. “God willing, our people can celebrate the victory alongside their leader, God willing.”
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Khamenei, who has the final word in Iran’s important decisions, was not seen in public or made statements almost a week ago, despite the extraordinary crisis faced by the country.
In recent days, the United States have bombarded three Iran’s nuclear facilities, which retaliated by launching ballistic missiles against an American base at Qatar, and Iran and Israel agreed with a ceasefire that came into force on Tuesday morning.
During all this, Khamenei – who, according to authorities, is housed in a bunker and avoiding electronic communications to prevent murder attempts – remained absent without issuing public statements or recorded messages.
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Its absence has surprised and worn from members of the political circle to the general public.
Mohsen Khalifeh, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Khanemanfocused on real estate development, said in an interview that “the absence of days of the leader left all of us who love him very concerned.” Recognizing a possibility that would seem unthinkable for two weeks, Khalifeh stated that if Khamenei was dead, her funeral would be “the most grand and historical.”
As a supreme leader, Khamenei has the final word on all important matters in the state. As a chief commander of the Armed Forces, it is expected to take significant military decisions such as the American base attack or the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
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The ceasefire agreement, requested by President Donald Trump and mediated by Emir do Qatar, seems to have been negotiated quickly. However, military commanders and government authorities have been evasive about met or talked to Khamenei in recent days.
His public silence generated a wave of speculation and doubts: what is Khamenei’s degree of involvement in recent decisions, given the possible difficulties to contact him? Does it still supervise the country daily? Are you injured, sick or even alive?
Hamzeh Safavi-political analyst and son of General Yahya Safavi, commander of Khamenei’s revolutionary guard and military advisor-said Iran’s security authorities believe Israel could still try to murder Khamenei even during ceasefire. Therefore, he said, they are adopting extreme security protocols, including limited contact with the outside world.
“There is a pragmatic view to manage the country in this crisis,” he said, through the strengthening of other leaders, such as President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Still, Safavi believes that Khamenei is remotely opting for key decisions.
Even so, some Khamenei supporters post on social networks and exchange messages saying they will not feel Iran’s victory against Israel until they see or hear the supreme leader.
Four senior Iranian officials, familiar with the current policy discussions in the government, said that in the absence of Khamenei, politicians and military commanders form alliances and vie for power. These groups have different views on the future of the Iranian nuclear program, negotiations with the US and the impasse with Israel.
The group that appears to be in advantage currently defends moderation and diplomacy, the four officers said. It includes Pezeshkian, who publicly signaled willingness to return to the US negotiating table, even after US bombing to Iranian nuclear facilities. Pezeshkian’s allies include the chief of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, near the Supreme Leader, and the new commander of the Armed Forces, General Abdolrahim Moussavi.
The Iranian government tries to take advantage of the nationalist sentiment that emerged after Israel’s intense air strikes, which would have killed more than 600 people in Iran. The Iran’s National Symphony Orchestra made an outdoor presentation in Azadi Square-a symbolic landmark whose name means “freedom”-in Tehran on Tuesday. A light show displayed images of rescuer projected in the tower in the shaped tower in the center of the square.
Iran’s plan for its damaged nuclear facilities follows as an open question. Both Foreign Minister ABBAS ARAGHCHI, and Iran’s head of the atomic energy organization, Mohammad Eslami, have declared interviews with local media that the country will rebuild and reactivate their nuclear program and continue to enrich uranium.
Sanam Vakil, director for Middle East and North Chatham House Africa, a research group, said Khamenei’s absence is a sign that Iranian leaders are “extremely cautious and worried about security.”
“If we don’t see Khamenei to Ashura” – an important religious procession for Shiite Muslims, held in Iran in early July, “said Vakil,” This will be a bad sign. He needs to show his face. “
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