A prolonged delay in the burial of Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah , signals a deepening crisis inside the Islamic Republic, according to a prominent Iranian strategist.
Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrads remarks came as peace talks between the United States and Iran stalled and internal tensions raised questions about s stability.
Fortieth-day mourning ceremonies for Khamenei began in Iran on April 9, with authorities withholding information about his burial more than 40 days after his killing. A three-day state funeral scheduled for early March 2026 had already been postponed.
“Forty-four days have passed, and the regime does not have the confidence to publicly bury Mojtabas dead father,” Sepehrrad of the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) told Fox News Digital.
“That is an indicator of the fear within this regime from top to bottom,” Sepehrrad added, before describing how, usually, “a religious regime believes that their dead must be buried in 24 hours.”
Khamenei was killed Feb. 28 in a strike targeting a regime compound in central Tehran, with his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who succeeded him.
Mojtaba is said to be still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries, three people close to his inner circle told Reuters on April 11.
Khameneis face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leaders compound in central Tehran, and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, three sources told the outlet.
“The 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.”
He is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues, including the war and negotiations with Washington, two of the sources say, according to reports.
The report came as Iran navigated diplomatic efforts with the U.S. in Islamabad aimed at easing tensions amid a two-week ceasefire, which ultimately failed to produce a breakthrough.
“Mojtaba input in the broad red lines of negotiations, even if he is not the public face,” Sepehrrad claimed. “At the end of the day, for more than 10 years, he served as his fathers right-hand man and as a conduit to the IRGC.”
“Mojtaba may be less rhetorical, less publicly ideological, and more operational because his primary focus is survival of the regime.”
Iran also confirmed Sunday it had no plans for further peace talks after the marathon summit, where .
“No plan has yet been announced for the time, place, or next round of negotiations,” Iranian state news agency Nour reported Saturday, citing the countrys Supreme National Security Council, with no statement from the new Supreme Leader.
“Mojtaba is less the supreme leader in the traditional sense and more the coordinator of a security-led system,” Sepehrrad explained before describing him as “more like a security-backed coordinator.”
“This regime does not communicate with one unified voice. It communicates by function,” Sepehrrad said.
“One channel negotiates, another threatens, another punishes, and another tries to maintain ideological continuity. It is now a mafia,” the strategist claimed.
“The key point is not harmony but division of labor. What holds them together is regime survival, not trust.”
“What we are seeing now is deeper: a leader who lacks organic authority and therefore governs through the institution that controls force,” Sepehrrad said.
On the Iranian side, negotiations, the analyst said, also did involve “diplomats,” but a wider circle of security-linked figures shaping Tehrans posture, reflecting the
