Iranians question Mojtaba Khamenei's absence from public view
New: after six months unseen and unheard, doubts are surfacing from hard-liners to pro-reform voices.
Iranians are beginning to question Mojtaba Khamenei's whereabouts and role because he has not appeared in public for six months. CNN Indonesia, citing Reuters, reported that no photos, videos or voice messages have been released since his appointment, fueling skepticism in Iran's political system, which treats the leader's voice as the highest authority. A Basij member in Qom said the public needs to hear its leader's voice or see signs that he is still running the country. Among pro-reform circles in Teheran, the doubts have been sharper, including questions about whether Mojtaba is still alive. Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute said the question has now shifted from Mojtaba's safety to whether Iran still has a supreme leader who is actually governing.