science
US and Israeli Strikes Kill Supreme Leader Khamenei, Trigger Leadership Uncertainty and Economic Crisis in Iran
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a February airstrike on the first day of the war with his son Mojtaba Khamenei injured and unseen in public since assuming power. CNN reported that cooking oil is now six times more expensive in Iran than in Turkey amid nationwide protests that began late last year in which thousands were killed.
May 13, 2:53 PM·3m read1 source
Audio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
US and Israeli strikes battered and scarred parts of Iran earlier this year. Flanked by glistening snow-capped peaks, the long road to Tehran winds through picturesque valleys of Tabrizi poplar trees and fields with green shoots of wheat. The narrow Qotur river, brown and swollen from the spring thaw, surges past shepherds grazing their shaggy flocks on the slopes.
In the distance an impressive railway bridge, its steel girders painted bright white, stretches across the shimmering landscape apparently untouched by the strikes. On the roadside between kiosks selling pistachio nuts and tea, black billboards mourn the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian supreme leader was killed in a February airstrike on the first day of the war.
Another poster declares Mojtaba Khamenei, his son and successor, is now the “standard bearer” of the nation. Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly injured in the same February airstrike that killed his father. He has not been seen or heard in public since assuming power.
The absence adds to the sense of uncertainty in Iran even as black billboards line the roads of northwestern Iran. Amid stalled peace negotiations and growing tensions over the continued closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, fears that the war could flare again are evident.
CNN reported that as US President Donald Trump embarks on a state visit to China both the United States and Iran appear to be looking to Beijing for a possible way out of their deadlock.
Trump is expected to call on China to pressure Iran toward compromise while Iran’s ambassador to China has suggested the country could play a powerful mediator role. The US and China share an interest in unblocking the flow of oil and gas through the Persian Gulf. It may also allow Beijing to contrast its behavior with Washington’s disruption of the global economy in recent months.
