Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared publicly for the first time Saturday since the end of a war with Israel to participate in Ashura ceremonies in Tehran.

Khamenei was absent from ceremonies during the start of the Muslim New Year, Muharram, held at his residence on Palestine Street for the last three nights, but he appeared Saturday for the solemn ceremonies to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.

Footage on X by the official account of the supreme leader showed attendees at Imam Khomeini’s Hosseinieh mansion welcoming Khamenei as he entered a hall.

During a 12-day war between Iran and Israel last month, US President Donald Trump and Tel Aviv threatened to assassinate Khamenei.

Khamenei was seen delivering speeches during the assault on Iran. After a ceasefire was reached, Iran accused Washington of joining the attacks to save Tel Aviv, which Iran responded to with counterstrikes.

The first three days of this year’s Muharram ceremonies were held at Khamenei’s residence for the first time without his participation.

A conflict between Israel and Iran erupted June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear and civilian sites, killing at least 935 people. The Iranian Health Ministry said 5,332 people were injured.

Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, killing at least 29 people and wounding more than 3,400, according to figures released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The US bombed Iran’s Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, escalating the conflict.

The conflict ended with a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect June 24.

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was seen in public for the first time since the beginning of Israel’s war against Iran on Saturday.

Khamenei had been secluded in a security bunker for the entirety of the conflict, though President Donald Trump claimed to know his location at the time. Khamenei attended a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura on Saturday, waving to a large crowd but not making any statement.

Trump asserted during the 12-day war with Israel that the U.S. knew Khamenei’s location, but would not kill him, “at least for now.”

Khamenei made his first public statement in days on June 26, shortly after a cease-fire between Israel and Iran began. He said in a pre-recorded 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.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR IRAN’S TERROR ARMY, THE IRGC, AFTER DEVASTATING MILITARY SETBACKS?

In reality, none of Iran’s missiles hit their mark on the Al-Udeid Air Base.

Despite the U.S. strike on three nuclear facilities across Iran last month, experts say the regime is still bent on developing nuclear weapons.

“Repair, reconstitute and rebuild is going to be the modus operandi of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran Program told Fox News Digital. “It just depends on how are they going to be doing it? While flirting with the international community? Are they going to go dark totally altogether?”

“All of this remains to be seen,” he added.

GEN. KEANE: IRANIANS HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON A NUCLEAR WEAPON

Spokesman for the Iranian regime, Fatemeh Mohajerani, confirmed this week that the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites had been “seriously damaged” following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program last month.

Questions remain over the extent of damage that was incurred, as well as skepticism over whether Iran was able to move any enriched uranium or centrifuges away from the heavily guarded sites prior to the strikes.

Though the Trump administration said last week that it had “obliterated” the three facilities it struck, and has fervently rejected reports suggesting that Iranian officials may have been able to transfer some elements of the regime’s nuclear program, Israeli officials confirmed this week that they are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

TRUMP COULD ARM ISRAEL WITH US B-2S AND BUNKER BUSTERS IF IRAN TRIES TO GO NUCLEAR UNDER NEW PROPOSAL

Experts in the U.S. and Israel have said they believe Iran is still assessing the extent of the damage from the “bunker buster” bombs , and that the regime will look to recover and repair what it can — meaning it may be looking to buy time.

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“No doubt, the regime will still have a diplomatic strategy designed to rope-a-dope anybody, and to find as much time as possible for this government to do that,” Ben Taleblu said.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report

This is reported by BBC and Associated Press.

On July 5, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared in public for the first time since the start of the Iran-Israel war, which has been ongoing for 12 days. This information was confirmed by BBC and Associated Press.

Iranian state television broadcasted Khamenei greeting worshippers at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran, timing his speech to coincide with the Shia holiday of Ashura, which commemorates Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

The video shows Khamenei addressing senior spiritual leader Mahmoud Karimi, urging him to perform the song “Oh, Iran,” which gained popularity during the recent war with Israel.

The last time Khamenei appeared publicly was in a recorded address following the announcement of a ceasefire that ended the 12-day war, which began on June 13 and claimed the lives of many high-ranking Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists.

During the war, Khamenei appeared on television only three times, sparking rumors that he might be hiding in a bunker. According to Iran International, after Israeli attacks on Tehran began on June 13, Khamenei and his family were evacuated to an underground bunker in the northeastern Tehran district of Lavizani.

Israel’s Attack on Iran

On the night of June 13, the Israel Defense Forces launched an air operation against Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli Air Force strikes targeted numerous sites within Iran, including facilities related to uranium enrichment and other military installations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the operation’s goal was “to strike Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, its ballistic missile factories, and military capabilities.” He emphasized that the operation would continue until the objectives were achieved.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, and the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, according to the Iranian state news agency.

Also on June 13, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel in response to the Israeli strikes. Following the attacks, several countries closed their airspace.

At an emergency UN Security Council meeting on June 13, Iran officially accused the United States of involvement in the Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. Washington denied these allegations and called on Tehran to negotiate over its nuclear program.

US Strike on Nuclear Facilities in Iran

On the night of June 22, US aviation attacked three nuclear sites in Iran – in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. US President Donald Trump stated that the primary goal of the operation was to eliminate the nuclear threat posed by Iran. He noted that the targeted sites “were completely destroyed.” Trump warned that if Tehran does not pursue peace, future strikes would be “much larger in scale.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for these strikes.

Meanwhile, Hassan Abedini, deputy political director of Iranian state television, reported that Iran had evacuated all three nuclear sites targeted by the US in advance.

On June 19, the White House announced that Trump would decide on US strikes against Iran within the next two weeks, depending on negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program.

The sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were among the targets previously struck by Israel since the start of attacks on Iran on June 13, 2025.

CNN, Reuters, and BBC published reports providing preliminary assessments of the consequences of the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to journalists, these strikes did not lead to the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump accused the media outlets of “lying” and demanded the dismissal of journalists who published these reports.

On June 25, Trump stated that the US would not abandon its pressure campaign on Iran and did not rule out the possibility of renewed armed conflict between Israel and Iran.

That same day, during the NATO summit in The Hague, President Trump said the US might reach a new agreement with Iran, this time concerning comprehensive peace.

On June 26, Khamenei congratulated Iranians on their victory over the “American and Zionist regimes.”

On June 28, Trump said he would consider the possibility of bombing Iran again if Tehran continued enriching uranium to dangerous levels. He also criticized Khamenei’s statement about “victory over the US and Israel,” adding that he saved the Iranian Supreme Leader’s life by preventing the US Army and Israel from striking the location where the ayatollah was hiding.

Khamenei attended ceremonies marking Ashura, an important Islamic day of remembrance, and state media reported that he did not deliver a speech at the event.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has appeared in public for the first time since the start of the 12-day war with Israel, in which the Israeli army killed several top Iranian political, military and scientific leaders.

On July 5, Iranian state television showed Khamenei waving to a chanting crowd as he entered a mosque located next to his residence in Tehran.

Khamenei attended ceremonies marking Ashura, an important Islamic day of remembrance, and state media reported that he did not deliver a speech at the event.

Others present spoke of “resistance” to the attacks and that Iran “will never surrender,” a reference to Khamenei in earlier statements, state media reported.

Khamenei (86), once the ubiquitous face of the Islamic Republic, retreated into near-total isolation during the war launched by Israel on June 13 amid reports that he was on an Israeli hit list.

His only appearances – a few video statements, the second of which was apparently filmed in a bunker with reduced production quality – did little to convince the nation.

United States President Donald Trump said he thwarted Israeli attacks on Khamenei at least twice.

Trump once stressed in a message amid harsh Israeli attacks that the US was informed of his whereabouts but had no intention of killing him.

The US military has also carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming to have destroyed them, although details are difficult to confirm.

The absence of the supreme leader has been the subject of speculation on social media in Iran, and occasionally the target of jokes.

Despite the losses Iran has suffered, particularly in its nuclear program and military leadership, Khamenei claimed in a recorded message on June 26 that Iran had won the conflict against Israel and the United States (US), a claim echoed by other state officials and media outlets.

Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News anchor and right-wing media personality in the US, said on July 5 that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian that would be released “in a day or two.”

In a video message on X, Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely and through a translator.

Carlson said he also offered to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington on July 7, but has not yet received a response.

( Radio Free Europe, Ne.V. )

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since the start of the 12-day war with Israel, attending a mourning ceremony on Saturday ahead of Ashura.

Khamenei’s absence during the war suggested the Iranian leader, who has final say on all state matters, had been in seclusion in a bunker – something not acknowledged by state media.

State TV in Iran showed him waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran.

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.

After the U.S. inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to the 86-year-old Khamenei that the U.S. knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now.”

On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei made his first public statement in days, 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.

Trump replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: “Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.”

Iran has acknowledged the deaths of more than 900 people in the war, as well as thousands injured. It also has confirmed serious damage to its nuclear facilities and has denied access to them for inspectors with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, further limiting inspectors’ ability to track a program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. Israel launched the war, alleging that Iran was trying to develop atomic weapons.

It remains unclear just how badly damaged the nuclear facilities are, whether any enriched uranium or centrifuges had been moved before the attacks and whether Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program.

Israel also targeted defense systems, high-ranking military officials and atomic scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, killing 28 people and causing damage in many areas.

The ceremony that Khamenei hosted Saturday was a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein.

Shiites represent over 10% of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims, and they view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein’s death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, created a rift in Islam and continues to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity.

In predominantly Shiite Iran, red flags represented Hussein’s blood and black funeral tents and clothes represented mourning. Processions of chest-beating and self-flagellating men demonstrated fervor. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense heat.

NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, reported late Saturday on X that there was a “major disruption to internet connectivity” in Iran. It said the disruption corroborated widespread user reports of problems accessing the internet.

The development comes just weeks after authorities shut down telecoms during the war. NetBlocks later said internet access had been restored after some two hours.