Now Reading: Iran president says supreme leader ‘completely healthy’ amid rumours
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Iran president says supreme leader ‘completely healthy’ amid rumours
Iran president says supreme leader ‘completely healthy’ amid rumours
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is 'completely healthy' and capable of holding a seven-hour discussion, after weeks of speculation about his condition following Israeli media…
The Story in Brief
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is 'completely healthy' and capable of holding a seven-hour discussion, after weeks of speculation about his condition following Israeli media reports that he was in 'extremely critical condition'. Pezeshkian's remarks are the strongest public assurance from a senior Iranian official since Khamenei succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
Mehr News agency released an undated video on Saturday showing Khamenei apparently in good health, but experts including Jason Brodsky of United Against Nuclear Iran said the footage was old and had first circulated in March. Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the strikes, including at his father's funeral, and communicates through intermediaries, according to reports. US President Donald Trump also claimed last month that Khamenei was '90 per cent gone'.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that Khamenei is incapacitated or dead is being pushed by Israeli media and US sources, but Tehran's denial is equally self-serving. Skepticism is warranted because Pezeshkian's account contradicts Khamenei's total public absence since February. The real test will be whether Khamenei appears on state TV for a live address, not a vague video that analysts say is months old. Until then, the question remains: if he is healthy, why hide him?
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
