The Hidden Ayatollah Denies Seeking the President’s Dismissal

Since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei went into occultation on February 28, various individuals have claimed either to have communicated with him or to know his will – not entirely unlike those who have claimed access to the mahdi, the Shia messiah who, according to Twelver Shia tradition, entered the Minor Occultation in 874 and the Major Occultation in 941. For now, the Bureau of the Leader – which may be operating under the direction of Iran’s collective leadership if the supreme leader is dead, incapacitated, or in deep isolation – is dismissing such claims through written statements issued in Khamenei’s name. The regime, however, must expect opportunists to claim access to him to advance their own agendas. 

• August 5: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Javan commented on public statements made in the name of the supreme leader: 

• • “The controversy began with remarks by Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, director of the Imam Hadi Seminary … who claimed that, in response to a letter attributed to the president, the supreme leader had written: ‘If Pezeshkian offers his resignation once again, we will accept it.’ Kharrazi went on to make further claims concerning possible changes to the Supreme National Security Council, the replacement of certain officials, and the foreign minister’s role in negotiations. These claims circulated widely in the media despite the absence of any documentary evidence or official confirmation … The president’s office dismissed claims that the president had ever offered his resignation … while the president, in a televised address, parts of which circulated online, said: ‘If I want to resign, I will announce it officially. But I will not resign, and I will persevere.’ Finally, the Public Relations Department of the Office of the Leader of the Revolution issued an official statement yesterday … dismissing claims concerning Pezeshkian’s alleged resignation and the leader’s response … and emphasizing that only statements released by the office represent the leader’s views.” 

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