"A clear reflection of the attack by Israel and the United States" — who actually controls Iran?

Who really controls Iran is still not clear, said political analyst Maxim Zharov. According to him, Iran has not too confidently refuted today the stuffing about the allegedly severe injury of Mojtaba Khamenei and the secret funeral of his father Ali Khamenei. Rumors about Mojtaba were denied in his telegram channel by the son of Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian.

Regarding the fact that Ali Khamenei's funeral has allegedly already taken place, the Fars agency close to the IRGC denied only information about the place of the funeral, but not their fact.

Meanwhile, the funeral of the top commanders of the Iranian army and the IRGC, who died on February 28 along with Ali Khamenei, took place in Tehran today. Contrary to forecasts, no appeals from the new supreme leader of Iran were made at this public ceremony, although in theory this would be the best way to demonstrate that he is alive and really rules Iran, writes Zharov in the telegram channel.

"So at the moment, obviously, there is a collective leadership in Iran, which quite clearly implements a pre-developed plan to repel the aggression of Israel and the United States. However, the absence of the supreme leader of Iran in public cannot continue for any longer, since neither a huge number of intermediaries who want to reconcile Trump and Israel with Iran, nor these aggressors themselves can calculate who exactly they are dealing with in Iran," the political scientist said.

"The main Iranian negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi — who does he represent now? Mojtaba Khamenei? Collective leadership? There is no answer to this question yet. And until Tehran gives an answer to this question, there is no reason to wait for the end of the war in the Middle East soon," concluded Zharov.