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That profile matters because the office he now holds is not ceremonial. The supreme leader is the ultimate authority over Iran’s armed forces, judiciary, intelligence system and major strategic direction. Reuters reported that in his first statement since taking power, delivered through a state television presenter rather than in person, Mojtaba Khamenei said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed and warned that U.S. bases in the region should be shut or face attack. Even before the latest controversy, his brief tenure had already been marked by secrecy, militant rhetoric and persistent questions about his health.
Trump, for his part, has repeatedly sought to undermine the new leader in public. CBS reported that he had privately and publicly signalled that Ali Khamenei himself did not want Mojtaba to take over, and the broadcaster quoted him calling the son a “lightweight” and an “unacceptable” leader for Iran. Reuters later quoted him saying that the absence of any public appearance was highly unusual and fed doubts about whether Tehran’s new ruler was even still alive.
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