Six months after airstrikes that triggered the war and elevated a badly wounded Mojtaba Khamenei to Iran’s supreme leadership, his continued absence from public view is raising questions about the country’s leadership at a critical juncture.
Khamenei has not been seen or heard by Iranians since his appointment a week into the war. With Iran confronting major decisions over a conflict that has battered the Middle East and further strained its fragile economy, uncertainty over his health and role is growing.
