politics
US Intelligence Assesses Iran's New Supreme Leader Shaping Negotiations
US intelligence reports that Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, is playing a role in shaping the country's negotiating strategy with the United States even though he has not appeared in public since sustaining injuries. The assessment comes as a ceasefire between the two countries has stretched past one month following US strikes on Iranian targets.
May 8, 6:27 PM·2m read1 source
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US intelligence assesses that Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is playing a role in shaping war strategy and negotiations with the United States alongside senior Iranian officials. The reports indicate that precise authority within the government remains unclear following an attack that killed his father and several top military leaders.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he sustained serious injuries in that attack at the beginning of the conflict. He was announced as Iran's new supreme leader days after the strike but the US intelligence community has not visually confirmed his whereabouts.
He communicates only in person or through couriers and does not use electronics. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told state media this week that he held a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Khamenei. This marked the first reported in-person meeting between a top Iranian official and the new supreme leader.
US officials base their information about his status on communications from those who have met with him.
The war has degraded but not destroyed Iran's military capabilities. US intelligence previously reported that roughly half of Iran's missile launchers survived American strikes. A more recent assessment raised that figure to two thirds, partly because the ceasefire has allowed time to recover buried launchers.
A CIA report concluded that Iran can likely withstand up to four more months of the American blockade without complete economic destabilization. The Washington Post first reported on that CIA assessment. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly stopped amid recent exchanges of fire between US and Iranian forces despite the ceasefire.
