Iran's foreign minister admitted major nuclear damage from U.S.-Israeli strikes, diverging from the Supreme Leader's claim the attacks failed.

As Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vanished into a bunker during the Iran-Israel war, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps stepped into the spotlight. Did his absence expose deep cracks in Iran’s leadership -- and set the stage for a new era of military dominance?

The aging leader’s message was defiant but somber, delivered in front of a tan curtain flanked by an Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor.