Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whose whereabouts have become a subplot of the U.S.-Iran war, is “completely healthy” and has recovered from injuries he sustained during an airstrike in the early days of the conflict, according to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Mr. Pezeshkian, who was in the U.S. last week for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, told CBS News that he met with the 56-year-old supreme leader twice and that the leader appeared healthy.
Ayatollah Khamenei, the son of Iran’s longtime leader Ali Khamenei, is now widely viewed as the ultimate decision-maker in Tehran’s theocratic government. Ali Khamenei was killed by an Israeli airstrike in late February at the outset of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
People were interested in these podcasts
But questions have persisted about whether Ayatollah Khamenei is well enough to guide the country. Mr. Pezeshkian insisted that he is.
“There’s no specific ongoing health issues or challenges,” Mr. Pezeshkian told CBS’ “Face the Nation” in an interview that aired Sunday.
“On the last occasion when we met for seven-plus hours, of course we were not used to being in seated positions for those many hours. We changed angles and positions, we crossed our legs and so on,” Mr. Pezeshkian said. “But, of course, he was healthy enough to be able to withstand those hours of that situation. From a medical standpoint, he’s completely healthy. Hear this from me as a physician, and accept it. He has no issues.”
Mr. Pezeshkian is a physician who was elected Iran’s president in 2024 following the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash.
Mr. Pezeshkian is widely viewed as a relatively moderate voice inside the upper echelons of the Iranian government, when compared with hard-line figures in the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and others who advocate for a tough stance against the U.S.
A key uncertainty has been the degree to which Ayatollah Khamenei is involved in the Iranian side’s day-to-day military and political decision-making.
Since his father was killed, Ayatollah Khamenei has been almost entirely absent from public view. He did not even make a public appearance during his late father’s dayslong funeral in July.
Sources believe he sustained injuries during the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign and may have even been disfigured.
Mr. Pezeshkian was asked in the CBS interview whether Ayatollah Khamenei’s face has recovered. He said “yes.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.