Khamenei skips annual Air Force meeting amid tension with US, breaks 37-year-old ritual

Khamenei skips annual Air Force meeting amid tension with US, breaks 37-year-old ritual
The annual meeting commemorates February 8, 1979, when a group of air force officers pledged loyalty to Ruhollah Khomeini in a move to overthrow the Pahlavi dynasty. Khomeini was the founder of the Islamic Republic and the predecessor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader.