Iran's New Supreme Leader Absent From Funeral Signals Shaky Start

Mojtaba Khamenei, chosen as supreme leader in March after his father's death in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike, skipped Ali Khamenei's state funeral in July, citing security risks. The absence raises questions about his grip on power after inheriting a 37-year institutional legacy during wartime—a succession that outpaces the usual legitimacy-building process.