By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowallDUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Six months after the airstrikes that began the war and propelled a badly wounded Mojtaba Khamenei into the role of Iran's supreme leader, he remains entirely unseen and unheard by Iranians — a vacuum at the heart of his country's leadership.Questions over his condition and role are growing increasingly fraught, with Iran facing critical decisions over a war that has set the Middle East aflame while trashing the country's already fragile economy.

Nearly six months after becoming Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has never been seen or heard publicly, fueling rumors in Tehran that he may be dead. | World News

Instead of collapsing, the Iranian regime has dug in its heels and taken an even harder line.