There has been speculation for months regarding the health of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Amidst this, Iran’s state-controlled news agency, Mehr, released a video of him. The agency published the 12-second clip on its website on Saturday, describing it as “a video of the Leader of the Revolution, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, released for the first time.” However, the date the video was recorded was not specified. NDTV Online reported this news. The video shows Mojtaba appearing healthy, sitting on a carpet in an enclosed room. He is dressed in a white outfit and a black turban, wearing a light grey robe over his clothes. He is seen conversing with several people seated on the carpet around him.
It is not immediately known when or where the video was filmed. According to reports, there have been claims that Mojtaba sustained serious injuries to his face and legs during a US-Israeli attack on February 28—an attack that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Previously, on March 20, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB released a similar video of Mojtaba. Posting the video on the social media platform X, they described it as “a video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei imparting religious knowledge, released for the first time.” However, the date or location of that recording was not mentioned either.
Since assuming the role of Iran’s third Supreme Leader on March 8, Mojtaba has issued several written statements through state news agencies. Yet, no photographs or audio recordings of him have regularly surfaced in the public domain. He was not seen at his father’s funeral ceremony last month. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated this week that establishing contact with Mojtaba is currently “very difficult.” He remarked, “It is very difficult to communicate with him at this moment. However, his presence—under any circumstances—serves as a tremendous source of strength for us, enabling us to move forward.” However, Pezeshkian stated that he had a productive meeting with Mojtaba and encountered a “kind demeanor and a highly rational” attitude. The Iranian President further remarked that, unfortunately, the current situation is providing an opportunity for certain hostile individuals to portray him differently and project a distorted image of him.
Various claims regarding Mojtaba’s health have also surfaced internationally. Last month, US President Donald Trump claimed that Mojtaba was “90 percent finished.” Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 14 recently claimed that Mojtaba’s physical condition was “poor.” Contrary to these claims, a new video released by Iranian state media showed Mojtaba appearing to be in a normal state. However, as there was no information regarding when the video was recorded, it has not been possible to independently verify whether it serves as reliable evidence of his current physical condition.
