A group of military, theocratic and civilian figures, rather than a single individual, have led decision-making in Iran since the killing of longstanding supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli airstrike at the start of the war.Khamenei's son Mojtaba was named supreme leader after his death but it is unclear what power he wields and he has yet to be seen in public.US President Donald Trump said last month that the war had removed a "first set" and "second set" of leaders but maintained that the "third set" was "smart", "very rational" and "not radicalised".

The new supreme leader’s absence from public view has exposed a deeper problem: Iran’s old power structure may not work anymore.

Ali Khamenei suppressed dissent, kept up confrontation with the US and steered a path between competing political factions in over three-and-a-half decades as Iran's supreme…

A group of military, theocratic and civilian figures, rather than a single individual, have led decision-making in Iran since the killing of longstanding supreme leader Ali…

Iran appoints Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader after his father's death. No head of state in Iran by end of 2026 at 2.7% YES.