Earlier this month Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei reshuffled Tehran’s top security team, putting his own personal stamp on the appointments and readying the Islamic republic for a long-term confrontation with the United States.
Khamenei, in power since his father Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran in February, has yet to be seen in public since taking on the top job and his health and influence remain uncertain.