Iran releases rare video of Mojtaba Khamenei after reports of deteriorating health
Iran's Mehr News Agency broadcast rare footage of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei amid conflicting reports regarding his health and alleged strike injuries.
Iran released a rare video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei following reports suggesting that he was in critical condition. The footage, aired by the semi-official Mehr News Agency, showed Mojtaba surrounded by several people and appeared to show him speaking to them during what looked like a lecture session.
According to the reports, Mehr did not specify when or where the video was recorded, nor did it identify the people accompanying him. The timing of the footage could not immediately be established, leaving observers to question its authenticity.
Media additions
The release attempts to counter claims that the supreme leader continues to suffer from severe injuries sustained earlier this year. Sources close to him previously told Reuters that his face was disfigured in a late February strike on his father's compound, an attack that killed his predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More recent reports raised questions about complications stemming from those injuries, which reportedly included serious facial and leg injuries that kept him out of public view for months.
Observers pointed out that the man in the video showed no apparent signs of the injuries he reportedly suffered, leading to doubts over whether the recording predates the military conflict. Iran previously released artificial intelligence-generated images of Mojtaba Khamenei after rumors circulated that he had been killed in the Feb. 28 strike.
Iranian officials have firmly denied that the supreme leader's health is deteriorating and have rejected claims that he is merely a figurehead for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Qasem Qoraishi, a deputy in Iran's Basij Organization, stated that additional footage would soon be released showing the supreme leader in public and meeting with military officials.
"once again bring disgrace upon the enemies and detractors of the Iranian people,"
Qasem Qoraishi, deputy in Iran's Basij Organization, via Yahoo News
Adding to the institutional confusion, Iranian officials are expected to release footage of a purported July meeting between Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is beginning his third year in office. However, questions regarding that encounter intensified after Pezeshkian described being transported in a vehicle with blacked-out windows to a secret location in Tehran, noting he could not see the person with whom he spoke during the brief encounter.
Mehr News Agency reported that the meeting between the supreme leader and the president addressed current challenges facing Iran, including public livelihood needs, the military conflict with the United States, and economic interaction with foreign partners. Mojtaba was selected as Iran’s supreme leader in early March following his father's death in the US-Israeli airstrike.
Key Developments in the Leadership Controversy
- Reports previously claimed the supreme leader suffered serious facial and leg injuries during the late February strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- Mehr News Agency aired undated footage showing him participating in a discussion with several individuals.
- Authorities previously released artificial intelligence-generated images to dispel rumors of his death following the initial compound strikes.
- Basij Organization officials promised additional military and public meeting footage to prove his recovery.
The wider geopolitical context remains volatile. Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire in April and subsequently signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending their military conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement. The deal collapsed, however, with Tehran and Washington exchanging attacks for nearly two weeks before US President Donald Trump abruptly halted the bombardment amid reports of talks to resolve the conflict.
Mojtaba was born in the holy Shi'ite city of Mashhad and grew up as his father helped lead the opposition to the Shah, later serving in the Iran-Iraq war as a young man. He amassed power under his father as a senior figure close to the security forces and the vast business empire they control, operating as his father's "gatekeeper" while opposing reformers seeking to engage with the West.
His close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps give him added leverage across Iran's political and security apparatus. The US Treasury Department previously imposed sanctions on Mojtaba, stating that he represented the supreme leader in an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from working in his father's office. The supreme leader holds the final say on matters of state, including foreign policy and Iran's nuclear programme, granting ultimate authority over political, military, and religious institutions.
