According to a report by opposition outlet Iran International
By Sammy,
According to a report by opposition outlet Iran International, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei skipped the annual February 8 meeting with army air force commanders, breaking a tradition he had personally upheld every year since becoming Supreme Leader in 1989.
The gathering commemorates a February 8, 1979 pledge of allegiance by air force officers to Islamic Republic founder Ruhollah Khomeini and has long been treated as a symbolic event on Iran's calendar. Despite previously maintaining the custom even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Khamenei was absent this year, and armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi met with the commanders in his place, as tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated and the US has expanded its military presence in the region.
Topics: Iran
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.