Iran has refuted widespread rumours surrounding the health of its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, with state media asserting that the 85-year-old remains in good health.
The speculations, fuelled by some Western media claims that Khamenei had slipped into a coma, were effectively silenced after his public meeting on Sunday with Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani.
The meeting, held in Tehran, was prominently broadcast by state-run outlets, with Press TV sharing a photograph of the Supreme Leader and Amani on X on Sunday.
The caption highlighted Amani’s injuries sustained during an Israeli attack in Lebanon stating, “Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei met with the Iranian envoy to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who was injured in an Israeli terror attack in Lebanon when thousands of pagers exploded.”
According to Kashmir Observer, a senior official at Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, dismissed the rumours in a statement saying, “There is no such thing. He is completely fine.”
Amani, who was injured in the September attack reportedly orchestrated by Israel’s spy agency, briefed Khamenei on his recovery during the meeting.
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The explosions in Lebanon targeted multiple locations, including areas near the Iranian mission, leaving dozens dead and injured. Amani, who sustained injuries to his left eye, was flown to Tehran for medical care.
The health rumours have reignited debates over Khamenei’s succession, with social media speculating that his second-oldest son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been positioned to take over.
Reports by The New York Times and Israeli outlets suggested that the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader, held a secret meeting in September to discuss Mojtaba’s potential appointment.
Iranian analysts, however, have dismissed the possibility of Mojtaba’s succession, citing constitutional restrictions. State media labelled the claims as baseless, debunking circulating hospital bed images of Khamenei as outdated photos from 2014.
Observers view the Supreme Leader’s meeting with Amani as a calculated effort to project stability amidst growing internal and external pressures, including international sanctions and domestic discontent. Analysts say such public appearances are pivotal in maintaining confidence in the nation’s leadership.
The process of selecting a Supreme Leader in Iran involves the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body elected by the public from a pool of candidates approved by the Guardian Council. The Assembly is tasked with supervising the Supreme Leader and choosing his successor.
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