The war in the Middle East has opened one of the most disturbing unknowns of the moment: where is Mojtaba Khamenei, the man chosen by the elite of the Iranian regime as the new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Since his designation, there is no recent image or video of the new Iranian leader. His first communication to the country was not pronounced directly by him, but read by a presenter on Iranian state television, with his photograph in the background.
This public absence has fueled speculation about his health status and his real whereabouts amid the war with the United States and Israel.
The attack that changed power in Iran
The current scenario dates back to February 28, when a bombing against the residential complex where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was located caused his death and that of several members of his entourage.
After that attack, the power structure of the Iranian regime quickly designated Mojtaba Khamenei, 56 years old, as the new supreme leader.
However, since then he has not been seen publicly, which has opened questions about his real situation.
Washington fuels the doubts
Speculations increased after the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, suggested that Mojtaba Jameneí might have been seriously injured in the attacks.
During recent statements he affirmed that the new Iranian leader would be “disfigured”, also implying that the regime might be hiding his situation.
The Pentagon chief raised a question that has reinforced international doubts:
“There are many cameras and recorders in Iran. Why only a written statement?”
According to Hegseth, the regime would be going through a moment of strong internal disorganization, with uncertainty even about who really controls power.
A leader who governs without showing himself
Despite the doubts, the Iranian state apparatus insists that the new leader is “active”.
The only recent public sign has been a speech broadcast by national television, in which words are attributed to him calling for the country's unity and defending the continuity of the offensive against American positions in the region.
In that message, read on television, the Iranian position on the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one fifth of the world's oil passes, was also reaffirmed.
Tehran has warned that it has no intention of allowing a normalization of maritime traffic while the conflict continues.
The regime attempts to project continuity
For analysts and experts in the Middle East, maintaining the figure of the new leader in the public sphere—even if through communiqués—is a way to show institutional continuity.
After almost four decades of Ali Khamenei's leadership, the Iranian political system tries to avoid any sign of a power vacuum at an especially delicate moment.
At the same time, the physical absence of the new leader fuels doubts about the internal stability of the regime and about who really makes the strategic decisions in the midst of war.
An unknown that marks the conflict
While the United States and Israel intensify their military pressure on Iran, the real whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei has become one of the biggest political enigmas of the conflict.
The lack of images, videos or public appearances keeps all hypotheses open: from security reasons to possible injuries suffered during the attacks.