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Yet the rhetoric masks deeper uncertainty within the Iranian leadership. Conflicting reports about Mojtaba’s health and his conspicuous absence from public life have raised doubts about who truly holds authority over Iran’s extensive security apparatus at this critical juncture. Some analysts suggest he may be physically weakened—a wounded hardliner whose power is largely symbolic. Others speculate that his statements represent a calculated strategy to project strength while allowing other factions within the regime to steer actual decisions. The praise he lavished on “brave fighters” and his talk of opening vulnerable new fronts of conflict indicate a willingness to gamble with regional stability, using aggression and unpredictability as tools to consolidate power.
