Iran’s president admits it’s ‘very difficult’ to contact Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
The younger Khamenei has communicated only through written statements, but his low profile during the times of conflict with the United States has raised speculations about his relations with other senior Iranian officials.
An Iranian pro-government demonstrator holds a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran (AP Photo)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged that communicating with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has become “very difficult”, fuelling fresh questions about the cleric’s health and public absence following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Despite the difficulties, Pezeshkian insisted Khamenei remained a source of strength and dismissed suggestions of divisions within Iran’s leadership.
“It is very difficult to communicate with him at the moment, but in any case, his presence is a very great source of strength for us so that we can continue,” news agency AFP quoted Pezeshkian as saying.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:
Communicating with Mojtaba Khamenei is very difficult now, but his presence is a significant source of strength for us, allowing us to maintain the process.
In the events they initiated, regarding the message he gave stating that while he… pic.twitter.com/sbDaZW2lKw
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed Iran’s highest office after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in the US-Israeli strikes. His absence from public view has fuelled speculation over both his health and the balance of power within Tehran’s leadership. Khamenei was injured in the US-Israeli strike on Iran that escalated tensions in the Middle East.
The Iranian leader has not appeared in public since he succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the same US-Israeli attack.
The younger Khamenei has communicated only through written statements, but his low profile during the times of conflict with the United States has raised speculations about his relations with other senior Iranian officials. Trump had also claimed that the new Supreme Leader of Iran was in “bad shape”.
Khamenei notably also drew attention by not attending his father’s funeral last month.
Pezeshkian, however, defended Khamenei, stating that he had held constructive meetings with him and that their interactions had been marked by “kindness and very sound logic.”
“Unfortunately, the current situation allows some malicious people to describe him differently and to present a different image of him,” he said.
Recently, reports suggested that Pezeshkian was at odds with Khamenei, as the Supreme Leader issued a “final ultimatum” to the president and threw his weight behind Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Ahmad Vahidi on crucial decisions regarding the negotiations and conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 14, citing sources familiar with developments, said that Iran’s Supreme Leader has effectively deprived Pezeshkian of primary political leverage by declining to dissuade him from resigning.
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The report claims that Pezeshkian had repeatedly used the prospect of resignation during policy disputes with Iranian leadership and formally offered to step down in May, arguing that his administration had been “entirely sidelined” from decisions on national security and foreign policy.
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