Hiding in bunker for 4 days, Khamenei cuts off all contacts, quarrel among regime leaders over response to US

"If today, indeed, no one is in contact with the leader, this is a problem for the regime," Saeid Golkar, an Iran expert and advisor to ‘United Against Nuclear Iran,’ tells Corriere. "There are important decisions to be made. The Supreme National Security Council can intervene, but it is usually Khamenei who dictates the line. The leadership is debating how to respond to the US. The hardliners want strong action, traditionalists and reformists instead think it is better to wait or opt for symbolic action," Golkar adds.