Iran's unseen Supreme Leader may turn to Putin as first foreign contact amid war
Reports indicate that Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains in hiding due to security concerns following the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel. His first diplomatic engagement is expected to be with Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a strengthening of the Moscow-Tehran alliance.
Why it matters
The continued absence of Iran's leader and his pivot toward Russia suggests significant geopolitical instability and a potential shift in regional power dynamics.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will not make any public appearances until the war with the United States and Israel is over and security conditions improve, an Iranian source told TASS on Friday. The source also added that his first engagement with a foreign leader could be with Russian President Vladimir Putin."His Excellency will not make any public appearances in the near future for security reasons. The government is waiting for the situation to normalise. After that, he will appear in public," the source said.The source said Khamenei's first contact with a foreign leader could be a phone call or a meeting with Putin, underscoring the deepening ties between Tehran and Moscow amid the war.Khamenei has not been seen in public since he took office in February, following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
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