Mojtaba Khamenei Remains Out of Public View Months After Succeeding His Father as Supreme Leader

Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since he succeeded his father as Supreme Leader and was appointed on March 8. The 56-year-old was seriously wounded in the same Israeli air strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 at the onset of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Mazahar Hosseini, head of protocol in the supreme leader's office, said on May 8 that Mojtaba Khamenei was now "in complete health" after suffering injuries to his head, lower back, and foot.

For decades power in Iran was centralized in the hands of a single man. Ali Khamenei led Iran for 36 years until his death. But since his killing, decision-making in Tehran has become increasingly decentralized, experts say.

In his absence a cohort of senior Iranian officials have been effectively running the country. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has now become the decisive force in Iran, experts say. Reformists and moderates have been relegated to the political fringes.

Hossein Taeb is a longtime confidant of Iran's new supreme leader. Taeb led the IRGC's intelligence branch for 13 years until 2022, when he was dismissed as part of a major security shakeup. He worked in the supreme leader's office before he was appointed as the IRGC's intelligence chief in 2009.

Taeb is blacklisted by the United States and European Union for his alleged role in state repression. He is considered a key figure behind the scenes as hard-line military and security figures now wield growing influence over Iran's domestic politics and foreign policy. 0.