A new report by United Against Nuclear Iran argues that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s prolonged absence from public view has underscored the depth and durability of the hidden network that sustains his rule. Though critics have mocked the 86-year-old leader for reportedly sheltering in a secure bunker, the organization contends that decades of institutional entrenchment have allowed him to maintain firm control over the country.

Central to this system is the Office of the Supreme Leader, established shortly after Khamenei took power in 1989. Over the years, it has evolved into a vast political, military, and economic apparatus with thousands of employees and affiliated operatives. By embedding loyal clerics and representatives parallel to government ministries and across the armed forces, Khamenei has ensured that major decisions align with his doctrine and that senior promotions require approval from his inner circle.

The report details how this network extends into religious seminaries and paramilitary structures, where surveillance and patronage systems suppress dissent and promote ideological loyalty. Through layered bureaucracy, coercion, and cooptation, the supreme leader’s office has consolidated influence across nearly every pillar of Iranian society.

Even in the event of Khamenei’s death, the report concludes that meaningful political change is unlikely. Careful succession planning, including the prominent role of his son Mojtaba, and the entrenched reach of the Office of the Supreme Leader suggest that the regime’s underlying power structure would remain intact.