29OCT

Pezeshkian says Khamenei is in full health

1 min read

17:49UTC

President Masoud Pezeshkian said on 10 August that he had met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for about seven hours and found him in full health.

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ConflictDeveloping

Key takeaway

Iran's president is the sole source for a claim about the Supreme Leader's health.

President Masoud Pezeshkian pronounced Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in full health on Monday 10 August, after a meeting in Tehran that he said ran about seven hours⁠¹.

That statement sits against a medical account published in April. Israel Hayom reported on 23 April, with corroboration from Times of Israel and Asharq Al-Awsat, that Khamenei had undergone three surgeries on one leg and was awaiting a prosthetic, and had suffered severe burns to his face and lips; the same reporting placed Pezeshkian personally inside his treatment. Both accounts are attributed to their sources and neither has been independently confirmed. Nothing available establishes Khamenei's actual condition.

Khamenei became Supreme Leader in March, in the republic's first dynastic succession, and has not appeared on audio or video since. April reporting had him communicating through handwritten messages carried by courier. Pezeshkian's description of a long meeting is therefore the only outside-the-room account of the man's health that anyone has, and it comes from inside the same government.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Pezeshkian is Iran's president, while Mojtaba Khamenei is the Supreme Leader, the country's highest political and religious authority. A public claim about the leader's health can affect perceptions of who is making decisions. The president said he spent seven hours with Khamenei. That statement does not independently confirm Khamenei's medical condition.

What could happen next?

Meaning
Pezeshkian has put an attributed account of Khamenei's condition into the public record.
Risk
Conflicting accounts and no public independent medical information may continue to fuel speculation about decision-making.

Sources:Islamic Republic News Agency

Mentions:Masoud Pezeshkian →Mojtaba Khamenei →Israel Hayom →Asharq Al-Awsat →Israel →Supreme Leader →Iran →Tehran →The Times of Israel →

First Reported In

Update #168 · Iran replaces the man who set its terms

Islamic Republic News Agency· 11 Aug 2026

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Causes and effects

This Event

Pezeshkian says Khamenei is in full health

Iran's president is now the only external account of a leader the outside world has neither seen nor heard since March.

Led to

Khamenei rules Iran by handwritten courier

Pezeshkian's health claim followed April reporting of Khamenei's surgeries and facial burns.

Occurred 23 Apr 2026

Read story →

Different Perspectives

United States (Joint Maritime Information Center)

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United Kingdom (CPS and Counter Terrorism Policing)

The CPS charged two men under the National Security Act 2023 over the RAF Fairford incident, and Counter Terrorism Policing said it believes the foreign intelligence service involved is Iran's, LBC reported. The case now runs through the courts; both men are charged, not convicted.

Aden and Yemen's recognised government

The Houthis told people to leave Aden airport, in the government-held south, before a missile fell there on 28 October, AFP reported, and police reported a second attack that afternoon. The fight between Riyadh and the Houthis is landing on the south's main civilian airport.

Qatar (mediators)

Qatar-led mediators put new terms to Iran this week, which an Iranian official called "ideas, not a proposal". Riyadh framed the Tehran meeting as support for Qatari and Pakistani mediation, keeping Doha at the centre of the indirect channel.

Korea Shipowners' Association

The association said the ships Iran listed were sub-chartered to an overseas oil company, not owned by Sinokor, carried no South Korean crew, and that Sinokor was unaware of the warning. South Korea's shipowners are contesting whose vessels the notice covers before it takes effect.

Kuwait (foreign ministry)

Kuwait summoned Iran's ambassador, Mohammad Toutounji, and handed him a protest note over the embassy's denial that its citizen took part in the alleged plot against Interior Minister Fahad Al-Yousef. Kuwait is answering through its courts and a diplomatic protest, citing international law and the UN Charter.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.