Iranian officials have confirmed that the country’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may soon make a public appearance.
“I can tell you that he is in good health,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in an interview with NDTV regarding Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition.
“You have already heard his speech, and I hope that very soon he will deliver another address to the public,” Baghaei added.
He also emphasized that the conflict in the Middle East is “a war imposed on Iran by the United States and Israel.”
“The Iranian people are determined to defend their homeland, and that is exactly what we are doing now,” he stressed.
According to a report published by The Washington Post, U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Iran’s leadership continues to maintain control over the country and shows no signs of internal division, despite the ongoing military campaign by the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Sources cited by the newspaper said U.S. intelligence assesses that the Iranian government is consolidating its power. Evaluations prepared after the conflict began suggest that the regime is likely to remain stable and may even grow stronger, as it believes it has successfully withstood pressure from the United States.
Since his appointment, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public, except for a message broadcast on state television on March 12.
Iranian media reported that he sustained only minor injuries following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes and continues to carry out his duties.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Iran’s new Supreme Leader had been seriously injured and could be “disfigured,” raising new questions about Tehran’s command structure amid ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel.
According to Hegseth, Khamenei’s absence from public appearances—relying instead on written statements—may be linked to his injuries and security concerns.
Iranian officials, however, stressed that leadership continuity remains intact, even though six members of Khamenei’s family—including his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—were killed in the February 28 strikes by the United States and Israel.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the U.S. defense secretary’s claims that Mojtaba Khamenei had been seriously wounded.
According to Araghchi, Iran’s Supreme Leader is “carrying out his duties in accordance with the constitution.”
