Is the Supreme Leader in Control of the Islamic Revolution?
The Supreme Leader (Rahbar-e Mo’azzam) of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Khamenei, was killed on 28 February, the first day of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran. On 8 March, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was hastily upgraded to “ayatollah” in regime messaging and appointed as replacement Rahbar. Almost immediately, stories began to circulate that Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since his elevation, was seriously injured and not in command of the regime. This has been the dominant media narrative for the last two months, but there are reasons to doubt its veracity.
