For decades, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the ubiquitous voice of Iranian decision-making.
Not a week passed without a speech, a decision, a planned intervention.
During the Obama-era negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program, he was very visible.
But all this changed after his assassination and the hasty appointment of his son, Mojtaba, as successor.
Iranians have neither seen nor heard their new leader.
His first alleged message was read aloud by a state television presenter over a still photograph.
With the US and Iran now actively pursuing diplomacy, it remains an open question as to what role, if any, the young Khamenei is playing.
Is he aware? Is he setting the parameters, drawing the red lines that his negotiators need?
Or is the office of leadership functionally empty, and its absence less a strategic choice than a political reality?
The longer Khamenei stays out of the public eye, the stronger the questions will become.
Have we entered a new phase in Iranian politics where the leader's visible support is no longer necessary? /Telegraph/
