Tehran: Even as the Iran war continues to escalate in the Middle East, the world is yet to see Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayotollah Mojtaba Khameinei. Even as he has issued several statements, he is yet to be seen in public. The questions about his whereabouts increased further in recent times with the US President recently claiming that Mojtaba is either dead or severely injured in the joint operations conducted by the US and Israel. Iran denied such claims so far.
Amid such rumours, Russian envoy to Iran Alexey Dedov has claimed that while Mojtaba is currently in Iran, he is avoiding appearing in public due to “understandable reasons”. Mojtaba had earlier replaced his father Ali Khamenei, as the head of Iran’s Supreme Leader following the latter’s killing in the US-Israel joint airstrikes on February 28.
Russia role in war being monitored: US
Meanwhile, in a press briefing on Tuesday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Russia’s role in the US-Iran is also being monitored. Even as Moscow denied allegations, Hegseth claimed that the US knows the role played by Russia and China in the ongoing war in the Middle East, saying, “we are addressing it.”
US President Donald Trump slammed out at some of its allies once again, accusing them of not helping Washington much during the war on Iran. He added that the responsibility of keeping Strait of Hormuz open is the responsibility of those countries that rely on the canal, saying there’s “no reason for us to do this.”
US, Israel launch fresh strikes on Iran
Early on Tuesday, the US and Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Iran. While Tehran has launched fewer missiles than the beginning of the conflict, it continues to deploy more low-flying drones, which are not easy to intercept. The conflict has killed over 3,000 people in the region, and millions of people have been made homeless in Lebanon and Iran.