Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance on Saturday (Jul 5) since the start of his country’s 12-day war with Israel. The Iranian supreme leader was seen attending a religious ceremony in central Tehran, state media reported. Dressed in traditional black mourning robes, the 86-year-old leader was seen on state television greeting a large crowd at the Imam Khomeini Mosque, where Shia Muslims were marking the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein.

Why did Khamenei go missing?

The Iranian supreme leader has been missing from the public for quite a while. His absence during the Israel-Iran conflict had given rise to speculations over his health. However, as crowds chanted, “The blood in our veins for our leader!” Khamenei on Saturday was seen waving and smiling, he appeared physically stable.

Earlier, amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, which the US entered later, Mehdi Fazaeli, head of Khamenei’s archives office, during an interview with The New York Times, was asked about Khamenei’s well-being: “People are very worried about the Supreme Leader.” To this, Fazaeli, without offering a direct answer, ominously said, “We all should be praying.”

He assured the host that the people who are responsible for protecting the Supreme Leader were doing their job well, and said, “God willing, our people can celebrate victory next to their leader, God willing.”

Khamenei absent from action

The appearance marked Khamenei’s first in-person event since June 11 — just two days before Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13. The Israeli airstrikes ignited the most direct military confrontation between the two countries in decades.

This marks Khamenei’s first confirmed public appearance since hostilities with Israel began on June 13.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was seen in public for the first time since a 12-day war with Israel. Following allegations that Khamenei had been hiding in a secure area since the start of a 12-day aerial conflict with Israel that claimed the lives of several senior Iranian officials, including military chiefs and nuclear experts, the visit took place.

On Saturday, Khamenei was seen attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura. People were chanting when Khamenei entered the building, which is frequently used for important governmental and religious events, while wearing his traditional black robes.

Since the conflict began on June 13, this is the Supreme Leader’s first known public appearance. Khamenei issued pre-recorded messages instead of making any in-person appearances during the initial days of the air raids.

Khamenei’s absence from public events has raised questions about his whereabouts due to the conflict’s escalating security concerns. During this time, pre-recorded video was used to broadcast his talks, including his yearly address to commemorate significant religious holidays. Later, when regional tensions escalated, Iranian officials said that the decision was made based on security protocols.

The Israeli conflict, which is marked by clandestine attacks and airstrikes, has raised concerns about further instability in the region. However their low-level retaliations and threats, Iran’s leadership has remained resilient in the face of mounting international pressure.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has made his first public appearance since the outbreak of his country’s recent 12-day war with Israel, taking part in a religious ceremony in Tehran, state media reported.

The octogenarian leader was shown in a video broadcast by state television greeting people and being cheered at a mosque on Saturday as worshippers marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, an important date for Shia Muslims.

Khamenei, 86, can be seen on stage dressed in black as the crowd before him, fists in the air, chants, “The blood in our veins for our leader!”

State TV said the clip was filmed at central Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosque, named for the founder of the Islamic republic.

Khamenei, in power since 1989, spoke last week in a pre-recorded video, but had not been seen in public since before Israel initiated the conflict with a wave of surprise airstrikes on 13 June.

His last public appearance was two days before that, when he met members of parliament.

Israel’s bombing campaign followed a decades-long shadow war with Iran, and was aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon – an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.

The strikes killed more than 900 people in Iran, its judiciary has said, while retaliatory Iranian missile barrages aimed at Israeli cities killed at least 28 people there, according to official figures.

After the US attacked three nuclear facilities as part of the Iran-Israel war, Donald Trump claimed the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

But last week the UN nuclear watchdog chief said Iran could produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months”.

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the US broadcaster CBS News the strikes on three Iranian sites had clearly caused severe but “not total” damage.

He said: “Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there.

“They [Iran] can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that … Iran has the capacities there: industrial and technological capacities.”

His view was echoed in a preliminary US intelligence assessment that found that the bombings set back Iran’s nuclear programme by just a matter of months. Speaking to Reuters, one source estimated that the programme could be restarted in one to two months.

With Agence France-Presse

Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei makes first public appearance at mourning ceremony since Iran-Israel war started

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has made a public appearance after a prolonged absence during the conflict with Israel, putting an end to widespread speculation about his health and leadership.

By Victor Dasgupta Edited by Victor Dasgupta

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New Delhi: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began. Khamenei attended a mourning ceremony on Saturday on the eve of Ashoura. The State TV in Iran showed him waving and nodding to the crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran.

It is important to note that there was no immediate report on any public statement made. Iranian officials such as the Parliament speaker were present. Such events are always held under heavy security.

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The 86-year-old Khamenei had spent the war in a bunker as threats to his life escalated.

Donald Trump Sent Warning To Khamenei:

US President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to Khamenei that the US knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now.” This came after the United States inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran.

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Khamenei’s Statement:

Khamenei made his first public statement on June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, saying in a prerecorded statement that Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar, and warning against further attacks by the U.S. or Israel on Iran.

New Delhi: Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared in public for the first time in weeks on Saturday, taking part in a major religious ceremony in Tehran as tensions with Israel continue to rise.

His appearance follows widespread reports that Khamenei had been staying in a secure location since the onset of a 12-day aerial conflict with Israel, which claimed the lives of several high-ranking Iranian officials, including military commanders and nuclear scientists.

According to media reports, Iranian state television broadcast footage of Khamenei entering a ceremonial hall in Tehran where a large crowd had gathered to mark Ashura, the holiest day in the Shi’ite Muslim calendar. Dressed in traditional black robes, Khamenei walked into the venue, often used for major state and religious events, while attendees chanted in unison.

This marks Khamenei’s first confirmed public appearance since hostilities with Israel began on June 13. In the early days of the conflict, he refrained from attending public events, opting instead to deliver pre-recorded speeches, including his annual address during key religious observances.

His absence had fueled speculation about his whereabouts and health, particularly as security concerns mounted. Iranian authorities later stated that the decision to limit his public visibility was a precautionary measure due to the intensifying regional conflict.

The confrontation between Iran and Israel, characterized by targeted airstrikes and covert operations, has raised fears of broader regional escalation. Despite the ongoing threats and retaliatory actions, Iran’s leadership has sought to project resilience in the face of growing international scrutiny.