According to Ayatollah Mohsen Qomi, a member of the Assembly of Experts and representative for international affairs at the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in “perfect health” despite his injuries. He mentioned that such tactics were used by the West to provoke reactions and spread rumours.
Qomi said Mojtaba was inside the same building that was later bombed where others lost their lives, but he entered the courtyard just minutes before the explosion, which he described as an act of God that spared him.
“He is currently in perfect health and actively managing affairs. He oversees matters related to negotiations and field operations under his direct supervision. Recently, he even gave specific instructions to the negotiating team on what steps to take under different conditions. He is in full control of the situation,” Fars News quoted Qomi as saying.
He said: “Some people are asking about the health of His Eminence the Leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei. This is a trick used by the enemy to say, ‘Why is he not present? Why does he not send an audio or video message? Why do not the people who visited him come and talk?’ They want to use these questions to force us to respond so they can achieve their goals.”
“Right now, the most important task for us is to help preserve the life of His Eminence the Leader, who is currently the Evidence of God on Earth. And I assure you that despite the injuries he suffered there, Almighty God has preserved him as a treasure for the Shiites,” he continued.
Mohammad Hossein Ziyaeenia, Iran’s Supreme Leader’s Deputy Representative in India, told ANI on Tuesday that the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a “good situation and well”.
However, The New York Times reported that Mojtaba Khamenei has remained largely out of the public eye since the February 28 raids on former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s compound where he lived. The attack reportedly resulted in the death of his wife and son.
Since then, access to Mojtaba Khamenei has been strictly limited, with only a small group, mainly medical staff, able to see him, according to the report, as he recovers from injuries sustained in the attacks.
Trump calls Iranian port blockade ‘unbelievable’
United States President Donald Trump has said he will maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports amid fears the Strait of Hormuz may not reopen soon.
“Their economy is collapsing, the blockade is unbelievable. Their economy is a disaster. So we’ll see how long they last,” Trump said at the White House, according to Bloomberg.
Oil prices steadied after a sharp rise on Thursday as there were no signs that Washington and Tehran were moving closer to a deal. The US strengthened its blockade stance, while strong rhetoric from the new Iranian leadership added to market uncertainty.
Brent crude futures briefly rose to $126 a barrel, their highest level since the start of the conflict, before settling around $114. Early Friday, July delivery contracts were trading near $111 a barrel.
Traders are increasingly appreciating the risk of renewed fighting and a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies that has remained largely closed since the US-Israeli war began on February 28.
