According to a report by The Times of Israel, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is reportedly not exercising the same level of centralized authority previously associated with his father, the late Ali Khamenei, as senior commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are said to be playing a dominant role in state decision-making.
The report states that access to Mojtaba Khamenei has become “extremely difficult and limited,” adding that he is “surrounded mostly by a team of doctors and medical staff who are treating the injuries” he sustained during airstrikes at the start of the war. The account is based on interviews with current and former Iranian officials, IRGC members, a senior cleric, and others familiar with Iran’s leadership structure.
Abdolreza Davari, a former adviser to ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the younger Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard publicly since taking office in March after his father was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike, is “managing the country as though he is the director of the board,” noting that “he relies heavily on the advice and guidance of the board members… The generals are the board members.”
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, is quoted as saying that Mojtaba Khamenei is “not yet in full command or control,” adding that he is often presented with “fait accompli” decisions.
The report further claims that Khamenei has been in hiding since US and Israeli strikes on February 28 killed his father and left him seriously wounded, including severe burns and injuries that have affected his ability to speak.
Communication with him is said to take place through handwritten messages delivered via couriers. Officials cited in the report say he has avoided issuing any video or audio statements, reportedly seeking to avoid appearing weak or vulnerable in his first public appearance.
According to the report, his condition, combined with security concerns and limited access, has led to a delegation of authority to IRGC generals, who are now said to dominate key wartime decisions. These include matters related to military strategy and diplomatic engagement.
The shift is described as a major departure from the previous system in which the elder Khamenei held final authority. Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group is quoted as saying, “Mojtaba is subservient to the Revolutionary Guards,” describing him as a leader “only in name.”
The report adds that IRGC generals have led decisions on attacks on Israel, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and engagement in ceasefire and diplomatic talks with the United States.
It also notes ongoing disagreements within Iran’s leadership, including over negotiations with Washington, though the generals are said to have prevailed in recent decisions, including the suspension of talks amid tensions over a maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Read_More…