Six months after airstrikes that triggered the war and elevated a badly wounded Mojtaba Khamenei to Iran’s supreme leadership, his continued absence from public view is raising questions about the country’s leadership at a critical juncture.Khamenei has not been seen or heard by Iranians since his appointment a week into the war. With Iran confronting major decisions over a conflict that has battered the Middle East and further strained its fragile economy, uncertainty over his health and role is growing.Iranian officials and senior sources say Khamenei remains in control but is governing from the shadows for security reasons as he recovers from serious wounds. They say he has delegated much of the day-to-day authority to a group of senior officials while retaining the final say on major decisions.However, no photograph, video or audio message from Khamenei has been released since his appointment. His only messages to Iranians have come through written statements read by state broadcasters. He was also absent from the week-long funeral rites for his father last month."The question is no longer ⁠whether Mojtaba ⁠is alive, but whether Iran still has a functioning supreme leader," said Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute in Washington to Reuters. Top officials and insiders attribute his absence to fears of assassination. They say he continues to hold meetings with senior figures, receives major reports and takes the final decisions on important matters.President Masoud Pezeshkian said on August 10 that he had held a seven-hour meeting with Khamenei.Yet doubts are emerging even among supporters of Iran’s Islamic Republic."We need to hear our leader's voice, or see any sign that he is there on top and leading the country to give us more confidence," said a member of the Basij volunteer militia in Qom, the seminary city at the centre of Iran’s theocratic state to Reuters. The Basij member, who requested anonymity, said he believed Khamenei was still making key decisions but added that the absence of even a photograph was hurting morale and was not in Iran’s interest.Among Iranians seeking reforms or opposing the ruling establishment, the concerns are more direct."How do we know that Mojtaba has not been killed?" said Shahrokh, a pro-reform businessman in Tehran who requested anonymity to Reuters. "It is not ⁠logical that there is not a single sign proving he is alive, let alone evidence that he is involved in ⁠decision-making," he added.Revolutionary Guards remain central to power structureIran has emerged from six months of conflict with some of its most powerful adversaries battered but still standing. Its political system has remained intact, while its military retains the ability to disrupt global energy supplies and strike US allies in the Gulf.The clerical establishment has also demonstrated its ability to absorb the loss of a supreme leader and senior commanders while maintaining a political and military chain of command aligned with its theocratic ideology.The economic picture, however, is worsening.The cost of the conflict, combined with a months-long blockade of Iranian oil exports, has put further pressure on the economy and battered the rial. The strain risks reigniting mass protests that authorities suppressed in January, when thousands of demonstrators were killed.Against this backdrop, Iran’s ruling establishment has reorganised around three priorities: preserving the state, restoring deterrence and preventing the economic fallout from destabilising the country.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, already a powerful institution, has increased its influence since the start of the war and remains central to strategic decision-making, according to sources. The system has increasingly revolved around the Supreme National Security Council.The senior leadership group includes top Guards commanders as well as political figures such as Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf.Several senior sources in Iran told Reuters that Khamenei is holding meetings with these figures, participating fully in deliberations and retaining the final say on major issues.A senior Iranian official said only a small number of officials have direct contact with Khamenei in person. The official said information about his whereabouts and condition has been kept secret because of concerns that leaks could enable the US to target him.A person close to Khamenei’s inner circle said his health is improving significantly and described him as sharp and involved in decision-making."Despite all the pressures, services to the people ⁠have not stopped. Our foreign policy line is unified and our decisions are coherent. All of this shows the supreme leader is in charge," a second official said to Reuters. From backroom aide to supreme leaderEven before the war, Khamenei had largely operated from behind the scenes as his father’s top aide and avoided public attention.That changed on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched airstrikes that killed his father and left Mojtaba Khamenei badly wounded. Senior sources said the attack disfigured his face.His continued absence now carries greater significance because he occupies a position traditionally associated with religious authority and ultimate political power.At a time when Iran faces its biggest crisis since the 1979 revolution, the lack of a visible supreme leader is becoming harder to explain to a population facing war and economic hardship."A genuine deal with Washington requires Mojtaba's unmistakable approval and so does any decision to sustain a long and costly conflict with the United States," said Vatanka. "His prolonged absence has created a dangerous situation in which rival factions can all claim to know what the leader really wants," he added.(With inputs from Reuters)