Amid Ceasefire and Turmoil, Questions Rise Over Absence of Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei
The Supreme Leader vanished from his office and residence last week, just before the United States attacked three strategic military installations in Tehran.
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran was mediated by US President Donald Trump more than twenty-four hours ago, but the fact that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been absent from public life for almost a week has caused anxiety and widespread concern.
Khamenei has yet to speak to his compatriots, even as Tehranians take to the streets to celebrate what they describe as their country’s victory in the recent aerial combat. He’s not in the office or at home.
The chief of Khamenei’s archives office, Mehdi Fazaeli, was questioned about the Supreme Leader’s health in an interview with The New York Times. The host questioned, “People are very worried about the Supreme Leader,” Instead of responding directly, Fazaeli only stated, “We all should be praying.” He noted that viewers had submitted a flurry of messages asking the same topic, and he had gotten a lot of questions from officials.
The Supreme Leader’s guardians are doing a good job, he said, adding, “God willing, our people can celebrate victory next to their leader, God willing.”
In order to thwart assassination attempts, officials had earlier stated that the Supreme Leader had been hiding in a safe subterranean bunker and was avoiding any technological connection. However, the mystery was only made deeper by his persistent quiet in the face of his nation’s great situation.
Mohsen Khalifeh, the head of Khaneman, a Tehran-based daily with an emphasis on real estate, is similarly concerned about the 86-year-old’s disappearance. He stated, “Days-long absence [of Khamenei] has made all of us who love him very worried.”
If Khamenei’s death were indeed rumoured, he claimed, his funeral procession would be “the most glorious and historic.”
Trump declared a ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Tuesday and cautioned both nations against breaking it.
Twelve days after Israel’s surprise airstrike in Iran, which claimed Tehran was on the verge of creating a nuclear weapon, the truce was announced. Iranian officials reported that 627 people were killed and almost 5,000 injured in the attacks. Iran also attacked areas of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in retaliation, resulting in at least 14 fatalities and a trail of destroyed buildings.
Trump declared that it was time for peace after ordering the destruction of Tehran’s nuclear facilities at three different locations, right after Israel and Iran exchanged rockets.
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