Mystery surrounds Iran’s new supreme leaderMojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has stepped into one of the most powerful positions in the Islamic Republic after years of operating largely behind the scenes. His elevation came shortly after a US-Israeli airstrike killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989.

Reportedly wounded in the strikes himself, Mojtaba Khamenei has issued more than a dozen written messages since taking office, but is yet to make a public appearance. In his latest message, issued last month, Mojtaba Khamenei warned the United States of "unforgettable lessons" if it continued attacking the Islamic Republic, while declaring that US President Donald Trump's signature was "worthless and invalid."

The written statement, read out on Iranian state television, came hours after Tehran announced it was suspending its commitments under an interim agreement signed about a month earlier, as the United States and Iran continued to exchange strikes on military and infrastructure targets." Now that the American enemy is seeking to escalate the conflict thereby incurring even heavier costs and further humiliation, it should know that the noble nation of Iran and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons in store for it," Mojtaba had said.

The statement marked Khamenei's first public message since the conflict escalated again, as uncertainty grew over diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the fighting. Despite his written messages and activity on social media channels, there has been no independent confirmation that Mojtaba Khamenei is alive following the February 28 attack, which also killed his wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, and other members of the Khamenei family.

Several Iranian officials, however, have said that he was wounded in the attack, fuelling speculation that he may be waiting to rec over before making a public appearance while also taking precautions over his security.' Met a voice in the dark', says Iran's presidentIranian president Masoud Pezeshkian was reportedly taken to an undisclosed location in Tehran for a brief meeting with a man introduced to him as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iran International, in an encounter that has raised fresh questions over the secrecy surrounding Iran's new leadership.

The report claimed Pezeshkian was escorted into the back seat of a dark, tinted-window vehicle, where the man identified as Khamenei was already seated. The windows were kept dark and security personnel reportedly prevented the two men from seeing or shaking hands, leaving them to communicate only by voice.