This is the first time in 37 years that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly not participated in a key military meeting. According to reports, Ali Khamenei did not meet with the Iranian Army Air Force before the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution.
The Iranian Air Force has historically pledged its allegiance to the Supreme Leader via the annual meeting held on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in February since the Islamic Revolution.
What is the anniversary all about?
As per a report by Hindustan Times, on Sunday, several members of the Iranian Air Force met with Hassan Khomeini (the grandson of the Supreme Leader) on Sunday. This meeting occurred after the Supreme Leader failed to hold the annual meeting for the first time in 37 years.
This meeting commemorates the anniversary of February 8, 1979 when several officers in the Iranian Air Force pledged allegiance to Ruhollah Khomeini (the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran) and the predecessor of the current Supreme Leader.
Since that time, on the same date each February, officers and personnel from the Iranian Air Force have held an annual meeting with the Supreme Leader.
Rising tensions with the United States
This skip also comes in the wake of growing tensions with the United States due to the violent crackdown on protestors across Iran. From the last week of December 2025, there were numerous protests throughout Iran. These protests were indicative of the demand for change from the current regime and were primarily directed towards addressing the poor economy of the Islamic Republic.
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The protests were spurred by the increased level of inflation and the significant depreciation of the Iranian currency (Rial) and the call for the overthrow of the current regime gained momentum over time. The Iranian regime has denied this assertion claiming other parties in support of the United States (CIA) and Israel (Mossad) were responsible.
As a result of the protests, the Iranian regime has since used harsh measures throughout the 31 provinces of Iran to suppress protest activity resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people and the arrests of numerous others.
In response to these protests, the US President Donald Trump indicated that additional military intervention may occur should the violence against the protestors continue. This was further magnified by the US military raid to capture the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, that occurred only days earlier.
