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A prolonged hold successful the burial of Iran’s ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signals a deepening situation wrong the Islamic Republic, according to a salient Iranian strategist.
Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrad’s remarks came arsenic bid talks betwixt the United States and Iran stalled and interior tensions raised questions astir the regime’s stability.
Fortieth-day mourning ceremonies for Khamenei began successful Iran connected April 9, with authorities withholding accusation astir his burial much than 40 days aft his killing. A three-day authorities ceremonial scheduled for aboriginal March 2026 had already been postponed.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, the caller ultimate person of Iran and 2nd lad of the precocious Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a gathering successful Tehran, Iran, connected Oct. 13, 2024. (Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA/Reuters)
"Forty-four days person passed, and the authorities does not person the assurance to publically hide Mojtaba’s dormant father," Sepehrrad of the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) told Fox News Digital.
"That is an indicator of the fearfulness wrong this authorities from apical to bottom," Sepehrrad added, earlier describing how, usually, "a spiritual authorities believes that their dormant indispensable beryllium buried successful 24 hours."
Khamenei was killed Feb. 28 successful a onslaught targeting a authorities compound successful cardinal Tehran, with a abstracted onslaught affecting his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who succeeded him.
Mojtaba is said to beryllium inactive recovering from terrible facial and limb injuries, 3 radical adjacent to his interior ellipse told Reuters connected April 11.
Khamenei’s look was disfigured successful the onslaught connected the ultimate leader’s compound successful cardinal Tehran, and helium suffered a important wounded to 1 oregon some legs, 3 sources told the outlet.
"The 56-year-old is nevertheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to sermon delicate matters."
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, the caput of the judiciary and Alireza Arafi, lawman president of the Assembly of Experts, be the gathering of the interim enactment assembly of Iran successful an chartless location, amid the U.S.-Israel struggle with Iran, successful Iran, March 1, 2026. (IRIB/WANA/Handout/Reuters)
He is taking portion successful meetings with elder officials via audio conferencing and is engaged successful decision-making connected large issues, including the warfare and negotiations with Washington, 2 of the sources say, according to reports.
The study came arsenic Iran navigated diplomatic efforts with the U.S. successful Islamabad aimed astatine easing tensions amid a two-week ceasefire, which yet failed to nutrient a breakthrough.
"Mojtaba input successful the wide reddish lines of negotiations, adjacent if helium is not the nationalist face," Sepehrrad claimed. "At the extremity of the day, for much than 10 years, helium served arsenic his father’s right-hand antheral and arsenic a conduit to the IRGC."
"Mojtaba whitethorn beryllium little rhetorical, little publically ideological, and much operational due to the fact that his superior absorption is endurance of the regime."
Iran besides confirmed Sunday it had nary plans for further bid talks aft the marathon summit, wherever Pakistan mediated.
"No program has yet been announced for the time, place, oregon adjacent circular of negotiations," Iranian authorities quality bureau Nour reported Saturday, citing the country’s Supreme National Security Council, with nary connection from the caller Supreme Leader.
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A mourner holds a representation of Iran's slain ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (top-L) connected March 5, 2026, during a ceremonial procession for members of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary radical Hezbollah Brigades (Kataeb Hezbollah) who were killed successful a onslaught successful Baghdad the erstwhile day. The Tehran-backed Iraqi radical Kataeb Hezbollah said connected March 5 that 1 of its commanders was killed successful a onslaught successful confederate Iraq the erstwhile day. (Ahmed Al-Rubaye/AFP)
"Mojtaba is little the ultimate person successful the accepted consciousness and much the coordinator of a security-led system," Sepehrrad explained earlier describing him arsenic "more similar a security-backed coordinator."
"This authorities does not pass with 1 unified voice. It communicates by function," Sepehrrad said.
"One transmission negotiates, different threatens, different punishes, and different tries to support ideological continuity. It is present a mafia," the strategist claimed.
"The cardinal constituent is not harmony but part of labor. What holds them unneurotic is authorities survival, not trust."
"What we are seeing present is deeper: a person who lacks integrated authorization and truthful governs done the instauration that controls force," Sepehrrad said.
On the Iranian side, negotiations, the expert said, besides did impact "diplomats," but a wider ellipse of security-linked figures shaping Tehran’s posture, reflecting the expanding dominance of hardline institutions.
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Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were greeted by Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon their accomplishment astatine Nur Khan airbase successful Rawalpindi, Pakistan, connected April 11, 2026. (Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP)
"This was a brittle conjugation of information men," Sepehrrad said, earlier describing however Mojtaba is "at the top, but is heavy reliant connected the Guards, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, SNSC main Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, IRGC commandant Ahmad Vahidi, Judiciary main Mohseni-Ejei, and instrumentality enforcement main Ahmad-Reza Radan."
"Several of the astir important surviving figures are not chiefly diplomats," Sepehrrad said earlier suggesting that that should "change however we should work everything coming retired of Tehran."
"That is simply a antithetic strategy from the 1 galore Western analysts inactive deliberation they are dealing with," Sepehrrad explained. "Dual way — tactical flexibility successful talks and a harsher repression astatine home."
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"While the authorities negotiates to bargain time, trim unit connected its forces, and forestall broader outer escalation, internally, it is apt to intensify arrests, executions, intimidation, and net controls now," the strategist warned.
"The authorities fears interior unrest much than diplomacy," Sepehrrad said.
Emma Bussey is simply a breaking quality writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked astatine The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, crossed desks including foreign, politics, news, athletics and culture.
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