Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is unconscious and receiving medical treatment in the Shi’ite holy city of Qom, The Times reported Tuesday, citing a diplomatic memo it said was based on American and Israeli intelligence shared with Gulf allies.

If accurate, the memo would mark the first time Khamenei’s location has been publicly identified since he succeeded his father following Ali Khamenei’s death in February. Iranian officials have insisted he remains in charge. But he has not appeared publicly since the war began, and no audio or video of him speaking has been released — only two statements broadcast on state television attributed to him.

The memo, which has not been independently verified, describes him as unable to participate in regime decision-making, reportedly for several weeks.

The disclosure raises an immediate question with no clean answer: who is actually running Iran?

The most likely candidate is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has steadily accumulated power throughout the conflict. A prolonged leadership vacuum would accelerate that shift, potentially giving the IRGC effective control over both military operations and diplomatic decisions, including any negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.

The same memo said preparations were underway in Qom for a large mausoleum for Ali Khamenei and possibly other family members — a detail that conflicts with earlier Iranian accounts of his burial plans, which placed mourning ceremonies in Tehran. Iranian authorities attributed the delay in a state funeral to expectations of massive turnout, but the gap between that explanation and Shi’ite custom, which favors swift burial, has drawn scrutiny.

Qom’s centrality to the succession crisis is not new. In early March, Israeli strikes hit the building in the city where the 88-member Assembly of Experts was reportedly convening to choose Ali Khamenei’s successor — a strike that underscored both the city’s religious significance and its role as the regime’s clerical nerve center.

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