Iran won't surrender to US, top negotiator Ghalibaf says amid leadership questions
Tehran: Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Friday declared that the conflict with the United States would never end with Tehran's surrender, even as questions continue to swirl over the prolonged absence of the country's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, following the recent US-Israeli war.
"Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran's surrender," Ghalibaf said, according to the ISNA news agency, after hostilities between Iran and the United States resumed this week with tit-for-tat attacks.
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Ghalibaf's remarks came as analysts speculated over the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei from the funeral ceremonies of his father, former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28.
The funeral concluded on Thursday in the holy city of Mashhad, attended by senior Iranian officials including Ghalibaf, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Ali Khamenei's eldest son, Mostafa Khamenei. However, Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear publicly and has communicated only through written statements since assuming the role of supreme leader.
His absence has fueled speculation about possible injuries sustained in the airstrike that killed his father or concerns that he could become a target of future assassination attempts.
Farzan Sabet, a managing researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said Mojtaba Khamenei's absence was likely due to "a combination of physical injury that means he's not publicly presentable" and security concerns "given the risk that public appearances will be used to track him and prepare the grounds for a future assassination."
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Sabet also predicted a possible political struggle involving Mojtaba Khamenei and Ghalibaf.
"His low overall public profile and absence from his own father's funeral don't look good for his public image, but it may be temporary and is manageable in the long-term," Sabet said.
He added that, "In the grand scheme though, his power and authority will be further subordinated to the IRGC."
Jason Brodsky, policy director at the US-based think tank United Against Nuclear Iran, said Mojtaba Khamenei was more dependent on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) than his father.
"The balance of power between the office of the supreme leader and the IRGC has shifted," Brodsky said.
He described Mojtaba Khamenei as a "weaker leader" than his father, while noting that Ali Khamenei also took years to consolidate his authority after becoming supreme leader in 1989.
According to Brodsky, while Iran is trying to project resilience after the war, Mojtaba Khamenei's continued absence suggests "behind the scenes there is paranoia and fear" following the deaths of several senior officials during the conflict.