Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that he had met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, marking a rare reported interaction with the reclusive cleric who has not made a public appearance since assuming the role.

“What struck me most during this meeting was the vision and the humble and sincere approach of the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution,” Pezeshkian said in a video broadcast by Iranian state media.

The meeting comes amid persistent questions about Khamenei’s physical condition. The 56-year-old supreme leader has remained out of public view as he recovers from severe injuries sustained in the Israeli airstrike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the outset of the Israel-US war with Iran.

In April, three people close to Khamenei’s inner circle told Reuters that he is still recovering from significant facial and leg wounds suffered in the strike on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran. His face was disfigured in the attack, and he sustained a serious injury to one or both legs, the sources said.

Despite his injuries, the sources described Khamenei as mentally sharp and actively engaged in governance. He has been participating in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and remains involved in decision-making on major matters, including the conduct of the war and ongoing negotiations with Washington, according to two of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.

Pezeshkian’s public confirmation of an in-person meeting represents one of the few official acknowledgments of Khamenei’s continued role at the helm of the Islamic Republic since his appointment. The supreme leader’s prolonged absence from public ceremonies, sermons, and televised addresses — once a regular fixture of his father’s tenure — has fueled speculation both inside and outside Iran about the extent of his recovery and the distribution of authority within the regime.

Neither Pezeshkian nor state media released photographs or video footage of the meeting itself, and no details were provided about where or when it took place.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)