Iran Releases Rare Footage of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

The Government of Iran released rare footage of Mojtaba Khamenei participating in a religious academic session to address widespread speculation regarding his health. In the video, the Supreme Leader is seen evaluating a student's thesis on the Islamic Security Model. This appearance follows a period of low public visibility since he assumed leadership on March 8, after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28.

Reports indicate Mojtaba Khamenei suffered severe injuries to his face and legs during the February attack. While the government claims he is recovering, conflicting reports from IranWire and cabinet sources suggest he has been absent from public view for nearly six months, with some claiming no cabinet member has met him in five months. Rumors have circulated that the leader is brain-dead, incapacitated, or ruling from a bunker.

In the leader's absence, the 13-person Supreme National Security Council has effectively governed as a collective. This power vacuum has sparked internal factional infighting between reformists, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, and hard-liners, led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi. While President Pezeshkian claims to have met with the Supreme Leader to discuss the economy and war, he has admitted that communicating with him is very difficult.