‘Interaction’ with Iran’s injured Supreme Leader increasing daily, president says

DUBAI, July 21 (Reuters) – The level of “interaction” with Iran’s Supreme Leader is increasing day by day, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said in a video clip published by state media on Tuesday.

His remarks came after months of speculation about the health of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the airstrike that killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei at the beginning of the Iran war.

“The level of interaction with our beloved Religious Leader is increasing day by day and must increase so that we can solve our problems with his guidance,” Pezeshkian said in the clip. he said.

Mojtaba ⁠Khamenei suffered serious injuries to his face and legs in the February 28 attack, three people close to his inner circle told Reuters in April.

Khamenei has made written statements since his appointment as Iran’s third supreme leader by a religious body on March 8, but they have not been accompanied by any new footage or audio recordings.

Senior sources told Reuters in July that the lack of footage or audio recording was due to health and safety reasons. The security risks are quite serious, given that his father was killed in the first US and Israeli strikes launched during diplomatic efforts to resolve disputes between the countries.

Mojtaba Khamenei owes his rise to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which supports him as a reliable protector of their hard-line agenda. The growing dominance of the Guard, already strengthened by the war, points to a more aggressive foreign policy and tighter domestic pressure, sources close to the country’s domestic policymaking circles told Reuters in April.

(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; Writing by Emily Giles, Editing by William Maclean)