Iran's supreme religious leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has left the country, according to an Israeli security official speaking to the Saudi network Al-Hadath.

According to the same source, the messages published in Khamenei’s name are drafted by Ahmad Vahidi and other senior officials of the Revolutionary Guards, who are said to have taken on a central role in managing the crisis.

The official argued that internal conflicts within the Iranian leadership have intensified to a degree that undermines the functioning of the decision-making mechanism and even threatens the cohesion of the Revolutionary Guards.

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Furthermore, according to the Emirati website Aram News, a fierce dispute is underway between the political leadership, Khamenei’s office, and the military command over how to handle the confrontation with the United States. The conflict centers on who will manage contacts with Washington, who will set the limits of military action, and who will take responsibility for the casualties and the decisions that preceded the escalation of U.S. attacks.

Khamenei’s office is reported to have received conflicting assessments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Force Kunch, and other military units regarding the extent of the damage, the ability to continue operations, and the effectiveness of the Iranian response.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly requested that all contacts with mediators be consolidated into a single political channel. The Revolutionary Guards, however, continued to independently convey their own assessments and recommendations.

Ahmad Wahidi appears to have gained particular prominence; according to Israeli military analyst Alon Ben-David, is currently the main center of military power in Tehran.

Vahidi and his associates, Ben David writes in “Ma’ariv,” Ben David writes, consider control of the Strait of Hormuz to be the most important strategic advantage among those remaining to Iran. At the same time, however, they know that a new attack against Israel would provoke a fierce response, further exacerbating the regime’s already severe economic and domestic crisis.

Source: KYPE