Iranian officials framed the ayatollah's funeral as a seamless display of continuity, complete with senior figures filling the front rows in coordinated solemnity. The only awkward gap was the empty chair reserved for the supreme leader's own son.
Spin teams called the absence a "private period of reflection" and "preparation for future responsibilities," which translates to hiding until someone else tests whether the target list has been cleared. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the US-Israel strikes removed his father, turning what should have been a straightforward succession photo op into a game of diplomatic Where's Waldo.
The same officials who praised unbreakable revolutionary resolve now quietly explain why the presumed next-in-line is better off communicating through intermediaries. It is a tidy workaround that avoids both appearing weak and confirming whether the line of succession actually exists.
