The absence of Mojtaba Khamenei from public view continues to dominate Iranian media, which recently published what it claims is current footage of the ‘Supreme Leader’—the first since he took office. Now, the deputy head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force told the Mizan news agency Sunday that “footage of Mojtaba Khamenei in public and in meetings with commanders will be released in the future.”
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in any footage since taking office. Iranian officials recently explained why: they claim Mossad agents told The New York Times classified details—including whether Mojtaba is alive, how the ‘Supreme Leader’ communicates, and speculation that he’s in an underground bunker beneath mountains surrounding Qom or Tehran. Iranian officials say any audio recording could help locate him. For this reason, not even a voice recording of the new ‘Supreme Leader’ has been released.
Meanwhile, according to official sources, the Trump administration is preparing to declare victory the moment shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz returns to full operation. According to The Wall Street Journal, the president made clear in closed-door conversations that he’s willing to forgo signing a new nuclear deal with Tehran to close out the episode, believing intelligence measures and deterrence will prevent Iran from restarting its nuclear program.