Iran's supreme leader has given “new directives” to the army chief. “The response will be swift, severe and decisive”
The head of the Unified Command of the Iranian Armed Forces met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and received from him “new directives to be followed for the conduct of military operations and to firmly face the adversaries”, reported the semi-official Fars agency on Sunday, according to News.ro.
Fars says Ali Abdollahi, who commands the Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, briefed Mojtaba Khamenei on the level of training of the country's armed forces.
The date on which this meeting took place was not specified, but the past few days the Iranian president also declared that he met with the supreme leader.
“The armed forces are prepared to face any action of the American-Zionist (Israeli) enemies. In the event of a mistake on the part of the enemy, Iran's response will be swift, severe and decisive,” threatened Ali Abdollahi, quoted by Fars.
The US intelligence services estimate that the new supreme leader of Iran plays a key role in defining the war strategy along with other high-ranking Iranian officials, according to several sources familiar with the secret information, informs CNN.
Reports indicate that the exact power structure within the now-divided regime remains unclear, but that Mojtaba Khamenei is likely to help coordinate how Iran handles negotiations with the US to end the war.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was seriously injured in an attack that killed his father and several of the country's top military leaders early in the war, leading to speculation about his health and his role in Iran's ruling structure.
