Factions in Iran openly fight over war’s direction amid Khamenei’s absence

AI Summary

Factions within Iran are openly disputing over the course of the ongoing war amid the absence of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Recent long meetings between political figures indicate internal power struggles and uncertainty in Iran’s leadership.

When Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian told state television last week that he found it “very difficult” to reach the country’s supreme leader, it sparked fresh speculation about the whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei who has not been seen in public since taking over as the country’s ultimate authority in March. By Monday, Pezeshkian told the official broadcaster that the two had in fact recently held a meeting lasting “seven or eight hours”. “It was a very good meeting,” Pezeshkian told a...