“Avoid appearing in public.” Russia, sharp message about the location of the new leader in Iran
Moscow's ambassador to Tehran, Alexei Dedov, said Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is not in Russia but in his country, Reuters and The Times of Israel reported.
Khamenei avoids public appearances “for understandable reasons,” the Russian ambassador was quoted as saying by the Russian-language publication RTVI on Tuesday.
“As the Iranian leadership has repeatedly stated, the new leader is in Iran, but, for obvious reasons, avoids appearing in public,” the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Tehran also stated.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.
Uncertainties related to the condition of Mojtaba Khamenei
The Times of Israel writes that the new leader in Tehran has not appeared in public in his new capacity, nor has his voice been heard yet. Instead, a series of statements carried by Iranian state media were attributed to him.
On Sunday, according to NDTV World, Iranian media reported that Mojtaba Khamenei sent the Shiite party Supreme Council of Iraq, through Iran's ambassador in Baghdad, a message of thanks for the Iraqi people.
In the message quoted by ISNA news agency, Khamenei “expressed his appreciation to the supreme religious authority (of Iraq) and to the Iraqi people for their clear stance against aggression against Iran and their support for our country.”
Mojtaba Khamenei's previous message was also a written one, transmitted on March 20, on the occasion of the Persian New Year. He then proclaimed victory over the enemies of the Islamic Republic.
“At this moment, thanks to the special unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite religious, intellectual, cultural and political differences, the enemy has been defeated,” was the message attributed to Khamenei.
What Trump said
On March 16, US President Donald Trump claimed that it was unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei was still alive, given reports that he had been injured in an airstrike.
“We don't know … if he's dead or not. I will say that nobody has seen him, which is unusual,” Trump said during a White House event.
