Speculation Over Supreme Leader Khamenei's Absence Fuels Iranian Political Infighting
2 sources across 2 countries · Hong Kong · United States
Who reported this
- South China Morning Post
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Speculation regarding the whereabouts of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has created a power vacuum in Iran, leading to pronounced disputes between political factions. Khamenei has not been seen in public since assuming authority in March after being injured in an Israeli air strike on February 28. That same strike killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and served as the opening salvo in the US Israel war on Iran.
President Masoud Pezeshkian previously told state television that it was very difficult to reach the supreme leader. However, Pezeshkian later stated that the two recently held a meeting lasting seven or eight hours. During this meeting, they reportedly discussed worsening living standards and the need for unity and cohesion. Pezeshkian asserted on Monday that Khamenei is in perfect health.
Despite these assurances, hardliners have demanded Pezeshkian's resignation due to his support for a peace deal with the US. Pezeshkian has stated that he will not budge on his position. While a center source frames the situation as a general power vacuum with disputes seeping into the open, a center right source frames the conflict specifically as a fight over the direction of the war.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- The center source focuses on the general power vacuum and the resulting visibility of factional disputes.
- Centre-right
- The center right source emphasizes the specific ideological clash over the war's direction and the demands for the president's resignation.
Sources
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