Iran Insists Mojtaba Khamenei Is Alive Amid Rumors About His Health

Although he has not been seen in public since being wounded in the Israeli strike at the start of Operation Lion’s Roar on February 28, Iran insists that Mojtaba Khamenei is “alive and in good health.”

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf addressed the Supreme Leader’s condition for the first time Tuesday, claiming that he recently met with Khamenei and discussed strategic matters with him in an effort to dispel rumors about his health.

Ghalibaf claimed that Khamenei’s health is “completely fine.” He added: “His strong, vital and hopeful spirit, alongside his determination and inner calm, stood out to me.” He also noted that the two discussed “issues related to the war, to the axis of resistance, to the negotiations, to the economic isolation and to the naval blockade.”

The younger Khamenei has not been seen in public since his appointment as Supreme Leader on March 8. Since then, no video or audio recordings of him have been released, and statements issued in his name have been delivered through other senior regime officials. Some Western observers believe he was seriously wounded, or possibly killed, in the strike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a statement Tuesday declaring: “Tehran is ready to act against its enemies. We possess missiles that have not yet been revealed, which will shake the territories of the Zionists and the American bases. Trump was, and remains, the president of a failed state.”