Overview
- President Masoud Pezeshkian told state media he recently held a seven- to eight-hour meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei and described the supreme leader as in "perfect health," a claim that has no independent verification.
- Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in independently verified public appearances since taking ultimate authority in March, and his absence has widened visible political disputes inside Tehran.
- Hardline security figures have moved to concentrate wartime command by installing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps veterans in senior posts, including Mohsen Rezaei as the supreme leader’s representative.
- State-released undated footage and mixed official statements have increased public uncertainty and encouraged rival factional messaging about the war’s direction and the president’s peace negotiations with the United States.
- The leadership opacity and power shifts are raising regional security and economic risks by shaping who controls wartime decisions and any talks over the Strait of Hormuz while pressure mounts on living standards at home.