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The Islamist ruling regime of Iran hosted mourning events nationwide on Thursday for longtime dictator Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marking 40 days since his elimination, organizing large crowds to honor him but notably failing to attract the public presence of his son, current \u201csupreme leader\u201d Mojtaba Khamenei.<\/p>\n
The events on Thursday were the first large-scale, government-mandated assemblies since both Iran and the United States announced, with the mediation of Pakistan, a two-week ceasefire ending the active hostilities that began in late February. On February 28, President Donald Trump announced the launch of Operation Epic Fury intended to degrade Tehran\u2019s illicit nuclear development and missile and drone arsenal. He also announced that the operation had killed the elder Khamenei that day.<\/p>\n In conjunction with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Pentagon operation has eliminated dozens of senior leaders in the Iranian government, leaving unclear who is running the government and issuing official statements \u2014 whether the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a terrorist organization, or President Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian is subordinate to the \u201csupreme leader,\u201d as is the IRGC, so without the confirmed involvement of Mojtaba Khamenei in government affairs, Iranian leadership at press time remains unclear.<\/p>\n The Iranian government announced in March that the younger Khamenei would succeed his father and, while several written statements have been published in his name since then, he has yet to make any public appearances or publish audio messages that could be confirmed to carry his voice. In his absence, Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have made public appearances<\/a>, including walking the streets of Tehran to assert their authority.<\/p>\n Reports on Thursday\u2019s marches\u00a0indicate<\/a> that Pezeshkian attended them, but Khamenei did not \u2014 even though Iranian state media declared that one purpose of the assemblies was to declare allegiance to the \u201csupreme leader.\u201d<\/p>\n