Three and a half days after being declared Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has still not come out in public and made any statement, leading to Ivy about his health and whereabout.
Iranian state media heavily relies on archived footage of the 56-year-old cleric in order to present him to the masses after he was appointed to Iran’s highest leadership position. There has been no video address or written statement from either Khameni or his office after the announcement.
Injury Rumors During “Ramadan War”
Reports coming from Iranian state television suggest that Mojtaba Khamenei may have been injured during the sustained warfare between Iran, America, and Israel which Tehran has termed the “Ramadan War.”
In the words of TV anchors commenting on his appointment, the leader was branded a jaanbaz, which is a Persian term often used to describe someone wounded in a battle. Nevertheless, official accounts on the injury and his state have been unforthcoming.
The cleric has not been seen during the early part of the conflict, which has further fueled questions.
Demonstrations of Support Tend to Continiue
Demonstrators in Tehran marched in large numbers proclaiming their support for the new dispensation. In the earlier rally this week, those taking part declared their support for the leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, while definitely expressing their displeasure at U. S. President Donald Trump for suggesting the new leader of Iran should be approved internationally.
“We want to show that the leader of Iran is chosen by Iranians themselves,” one protester speaking to reporters at the gathering commented.
In Tehran’s Valiasr Square, a new mural dedicated to Mojtaba portrays him receiving the country’s flag from his late father, Khameini, with Khomeini in the background. The mural is widely perceived as a mirror to the leadership struggle.
Elite Security Protects
Accordin to some reports, the elite force of Iran’s counterterrorism unit, NOPO, will provide security to the new leader. The unit, formed in 1991, donned in black, chiefly performs delicate punitive operations, but mostly kidnapping rescue missions.
According to the field team in the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, it is really likely that the unit, too, is guarding Mojtaba under the circumstances of the murder of his father.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei pursued a low-key existence for a long time within the Islamic Republic. But throughout the years, he quietly gained influence within the clerical establishment, the security apparatus, and the business circles in Iran.
Son to the second rank of the ruling Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, Khamenei has come to power now against the backdrop of a very-challenging time for Iran due to external military threats put forth through the U. S. and Israel and great internal unrest.
Analysts have said his leadership may mean there would be continuity with his father’s policies in hardline positions, particularly the “Great Satan,” the United States, and keen adherence to the revolutionary framework of the Islamic State.
His nomination is also seen by some outside observers as evidence that the Islamic Republic’s leadership is determined less to bow to international pressure and more to stand in the confrontation with the opposing side in the ongoing hostility.
