Alive but weakened, Iran's Khamenei faces new challenges

Jason Brodsky, policy director at the US-based United Against Nuclear Iran, said [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei appeared “frail and hoarse” and also “detached from reality” in insisting that Iran's nuclear programme did not suffer significant damage. “Nevertheless, I remain sceptical of the theories that Khamenei has been sidelined,” he told AFP. “I have no doubt the war will prompt a debate within the Islamic Republic’s political elite as to how best to rebuild the system's capabilities, but in the end, the buck has always stopped with Khamenei,” he said.