"My life has no meaning. Even if they kill me, do not consider it a loss, as long as you remain steadfast in the principles of Imam Hussein. We are winning this war as long as we do not bow to power and greed," Ali Khamenei says, before a crowd of believers.
This statement, a video widely shared by the regime's few supporters who posted it to show those who don't believe him, that the 86-year-old bearded leader is a brave man, willing to do anything for his country, reports Corriere della Serra.
Opponents respond with hundreds of comments, often ironic.
"He is so heroic that even his own people don't know where he is," writes one commenter.
"Hiding underground like worms, while the people are bombed and have no shelter to escape death," someone else writes.
bunker
The Supreme Leader has been missing for four days. It is known that he is in a secret bunker and that his family is with him. It is also known that he is not using any devices to communicate with the outside world, so as not to be tracked by the enemy.
Khamenei reportedly has all electronic communications blocked and speaks to his commanders through a "trusted aide" for fear of being assassinated Hassan Nasrallah-style.
The second front of the war, represented by the infiltration of Mossad, Israel's intelligence, makes all the men of the Islamic Republic paranoid.
State media is issuing a warning to the population: beware of the dangers of cell phone tracking. They explain that the Israeli military has been using phone monitoring to find targets to eliminate, such as nuclear scientists. This is supposedly why Iran has been isolated and without internet for days.
Authorities say they have cut the lines to protect Iranians, a statement that has been questioned by many citizens.
Silence
It has already been said that neither the so-called moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian nor Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have managed to contact the Ayatollah.
This silence is said to be the reason why a secret meeting with US officials in Istanbul on Friday was cancelled. In retrospect, this was perhaps the last chance Donald Trump gave diplomacy before pressing the “war” button.
Two inside sources reveal to an Iranian newspaper that other prominent figures, such as former President Hassan Rouhani, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and former Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani, have also tried in vain to contact Khamenei.
Response to the USA
"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.
Also in the Iranian press, it is reported that in this moment of uncertainty, there are those who are trying to gain space. The name of Ali Larijani is mentioned, who is playing the card of "Iran's savior", ready to ascend, in case Khamenei is eliminated.