Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
On April 1, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagai confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and may soon appear in public.
Bagai made the statement during an interview with the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm. He stated: “As for his health, yes, there are many things that can be said about him, but I assure you that everything is fine with him. I think it’s not surprising that in wartime conditions it may take some time before he appears in public, but I assure you that the state, governance and defense are managed very efficiently.”
The spokesperson also noted that the appointment of a new ayatollah just days after the assassination of the previous supreme leader was “significant in itself.” He added that the vertical of power of the Islamic Republic is stable enough not to depend on specific individuals.
Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexei Dedov reported on March 31 that Khamenei is currently within Iran but avoids public appearances. Dedov also indicated he has no personal contacts with the new supreme leader, though he emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the first to send congratulations to Khamenei.
The Council of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader on March 8 following a unanimous decision. On March 5, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States does not want Iran to be led by a leader like the murdered Ali Khamenei.
