Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran, July 5, 2025Originally published by The Conversation:In the weeks since Israel’s expansive 12-day war in June, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rarely been seen in public. Already cognizant of the potential threat to his security before the latest conflict, the Supreme Leader is known to have considered contingency succession plans and seemingly named potential successors should he perish. One of the world’s longest-serving leaders, he was once seen as the unifying axis of the Islamic Republic and the inheritor of the legacy of the Iranian Revolution’s founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader is now facing rare scrutiny from various quarters. One path for Khamanei would be to remain as Supreme Leader but gradually delegate, signaling controlled change from within. Whether under the current supreme leader or a future successor, the issue will remain central to the identity and long-term vision of the state.