Iranian President meets with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
On August 9, the Iranian Supreme Leader's office confirmed that President Masoud Pezeshkian had met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. This is rare official information about Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking office at the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East.
According to an announcement from the Supreme Leader's Office, President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the occasion of the beginning of his third year in office.
While not disclosing the exact timing of the meeting, the statement said the two leaders "discussed in detail the country's issues," particularly "the current military situation and future prospects."
This event has attracted considerable public attention because, earlier in May, President Pezeshkian had stated that he had met with the Supreme Leader, but Khamenei's office had not issued any statement confirming this. Furthermore, just last week, the Iranian President admitted that contact with the Supreme Leader was "currently very difficult."
The absence of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has fueled speculation about his health. According to some sources, he is believed to have been injured in airstrikes – the same incident that killed his father.
The high-level meeting took place against a complex geopolitical backdrop. Iran had previously engaged in talks with Washington aimed at ending the war launched by the US and Israel last February. However, a preliminary agreement broke down. Tehran's top diplomat said that current negotiation efforts were limited to exchanging messages through intermediaries.
Also on August 9th, the Tasnim news agency quoted a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as saying that images of the Supreme Leader meeting with the people and attending meetings would be "released in the future," although no specific timeframe was given.
