(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)A mourner chants slogan as she holds a poster with graphic depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a ceremony commemorating the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. On one side, the ultra-hardliners who oppose any negotiations with the United States are pressing for total victory in the war. A huge question mark is where the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, stands. The funeral for slain Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, earlier this month appeared to show the strength of the ultra-hardline Paydari. The supreme leader, because of the power invested in him, could act as a “brake” to restrain the more extremist factions, Abtahi said.