Iran's Hidden Supreme Leader: Military Tests the Center

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since March 2026, hasn't appeared publicly or spoken in four months—even skipping his father's funeral in July. In Iran's velayat-e faqih system, one supreme jurist concentrates all religious and political authority. His absence has left a power vacuum. Military generals are quietly accumulating control. The critical question: does Mojtaba regain authority, or becomes a figurehead while others govern?