"Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei expressed gratitude to the supreme religious leader and people of Iraq for their clear stance against aggression targeting Iran, as well as their support for our country," Iran's ISNA news agency reported on 29/3. The report referred to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam.
Officials conveyed Khamenei's handwritten message after a meeting between Iraq's Supreme Islamic Council, a major Iraqi Shiite political party established in Iran in 1982, and the Iranian Ambassador in Baghdad. Iranian officials did not disclose how the message was delivered.
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Iranians holding photos of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a march in Tehran on 25/3. Photo: AP |
Iranians holding photos of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a march in Tehran on 25/3. Photo: AP
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, became Iran's supreme leader in mid-month, after his father, supreme leader Ali Khamenei, died in a US-Israeli airstrike on 28/2.
He has not appeared publicly to date, only issuing several written statements. Others read these statements on television, and they showed a hardline stance, predicting victory in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The new supreme leader's direct absence has sparked much speculation about his condition and whereabouts. However, state television and some Iranian officials affirmed he is recovering from injuries sustained in an airstrike.
CNN earlier this month cited sources familiar with the situation, saying Khamenei broke his leg on the first day the operation erupted. Besides the leg injury, he also had bruises around his left eye and several small lacerations on his face. Iranian media frequently publishes his images, but does not specify if they are new photos.
President Donald Trump said last week that Washington is working with a "senior official" in negotiations with Tehran, but affirmed it is not Iran's supreme leader. "We haven't heard anything about the successor. Don't know if he is still alive," he said.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, CNN)
