Washington, 07 October (H.S.):

Questions over the balance of power in Iran have intensified after US President Donald Trump said Washington remains uncertain about who is directing the country as the conflict with the United States and Israel enters its eighth month.

Trump made the remarks on Tuesday, saying Iran had suffered the loss of senior leaders during the war and that uncertainty remained over the country’s current leadership.

Iran has dismissed the suggestion that its decision-making structure is unclear. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday, October 4, that Washington was well aware of Iran’s leadership and understood how decisions were being made in Tehran.

The disagreement follows the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the opening strikes of the conflict on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, later succeeded him but has largely remained away from public view after being injured in the same attack.

The question of who exercises effective authority in Tehran has taken on added importance as Washington and Iran continue to face difficult negotiations over the conflict and Tehran’s nuclear programme.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that the United States was still assessing how decisions were being made inside Iran and how much authority Iranian officials involved in negotiations possessed.

The prolonged conflict has meanwhile placed wider pressure on energy markets, with disruptions and uncertainty contributing to higher fuel prices. The issue has also become politically sensitive for the Trump administration ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

Iran continues to insist that its state institutions remain functional, while US officials have raised questions about the extent to which authority is concentrated within the country’s post-Khamenei leadership.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar