Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not been seen publicly or heard from in nearly a week. That absence has surprised and unnerved everyone from political insiders to the general public.
Officials have said Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been sheltering at a bunker and refraining from electronic communication to prevent assassination attempts against him.
Large flames illuminated the night sky as airstrikes pummeled the Iranian capital, residents said. Later on Tuesday morning, state television said a cease-fire had been agreed to with Israel.
Iran’s response to the attacks on its nuclear facilities killed no Americans and each nation has a victory narrative. But an hours-old cease-fire appeared fragile and President Trump lashed out at Israel and Iran over the state of the truce.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli or Iranian governments of a cease-fire, but Qatar has long worked to present itself as capable of narrowing the gaps between warring parties.
President Trump with the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in Doha, Qatar’s capital, in May. The Qatari prime minister persuaded Iran to agree to a U.S. cease-fire proposal in a call with the Iranian leadership, diplomats said.
The mood in the government after the U.S. attacks is one of defeat and humiliation. But state media are showing people going about their daily routines.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has picked replacements in case military commanders die in Israeli strikes. He has also named possible replacements for himself.
Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence, among them a poet and her family, an equestrian and a graphic designer.
Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini, the great-grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on Tuesday night in Tehran at a time when sounds of explosions could be heard in the background.
The U.S.S. Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in 2024. The carrier is currently steaming in the Arabian Sea. Iranian allies or proxies are expected to resume attacks on U.S. ships in the region if the United States joins Israel’s campaign.
People at a patriotic rally on Tuesday in Tehran. President Trump announced the cease-fire on Monday, saying that the war would be “considered ended” 24 hours after it took effect.
Connexion
