Featured Image Credit: Iranian President's Press Office / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images
Topics: Iran, Politics, World News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Iran, Politics, World News
It's been suspected that Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, could be 'in hiding' after the country's Assembly of Experts chose him to replace his father.
Ali Khamenei had been running Iran for over three decades until he was assassinated in an air strike in Tehran on February 28.
Iran was briefly left without a supreme leader until Mojtaba was chosen to succeed his father. He has been described as an 'enigma who isn't going to be the charismatic leader like his father'.
Today, Mojtaba issued his first public address since being elected to run the country. A written statement from him was read out on state television.
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The 56-year-old himself wasn't present for this, leaving people unsure where the new Iranian supreme leader is and sparking questions about his welfare.
"The will of the masses is to continue the effective and regrettable defense," the message read, as per The Jerusalem Post.
"Also, the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to be used. Studies have been conducted on opening other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be extremely vulnerable in them, and their activation will be carried out if the war situation continues and based on the observance of interests."
The blocking of the Strait of Hormuz has caused drastic price hikes on oil. Gas prices starting rising on March 3 and hit $3.49 per gallon on Wednesday (March 11).
Mojtaba went on to say that Iran plans on targeting more US bases located in Gulf Arab States and that the countries where the bases are located have been prewarned about the attacks.
So far, the likes of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been struck.
He did note that Iran still believes 'in the need for friendship between ourselves and our neighbors'.
"These countries must make their duty clear to the invaders of our beloved homeland and the murderers of our people," Mojtaba penned. "I recommend that they close those bases as soon as possible, because they must have realized by now that the claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing more than a lie."
There have been reports that Mojtaba is in being treated in hospital still following the February 28 air strike that killed his father, mother, wife, and other members of their family.
The extent of his injuries are unclear. Some reports have suggested that the 56-year-old was left in a coma, while an unnamed Iranian official told Reuters the new supreme leader was only 'lightly injured'.
Meanwhile, Tehran-run state media has been referring to Mojtaba as a 'janbaz' — a term used for Iran's disabled war veterans.
Elsewhere, Hadi Ghaemi, founder and executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), thinks that Mojtaba is in hiding.
Speaking to USA Today, Ghaemi said that the new Iranian leader is 'maybe being kept in hiding, which only adds more uncertainty and speculation to his whereabouts'.
Adding fuel to the fire, Yousef Pezeshkian, son and adviser to President Masoud Pezeshkian, has said on his Telegram channel that Mojtaba is in a 'safe and in a secure location', per Euro News.