In a video broadcast on Iranian state television on 5/7, supreme leader Ali Khamenei waved to cheering crowds at the Imam Khomeini mosque in central Tehran, as devotees marked the day of Ashura, the holiest day in the Shiite Muslim calendar.
The 86-year-old Khamenei appeared on stage dressed in black as the crowd raised their fists and chanted, "Our blood is for our leader".
The Imam Khomeini mosque is named after the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989, made a pre-recorded video address last week but had not appeared in public since before Israel's preemptive strikes on Iran on 13/6. His last public appearance was on 11/6 when he met with members of parliament.
Israel’s bombing campaign followed a decades-long shadow war with Iran, aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The US intervened in the conflict on 22/6, conducting B-2 bomber strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities and then calling for talks with Tehran. Iran responded with a restrained attack on a US base in Qatar. On 24/6, Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, ending 12 days of fighting, with both sides claiming victory.
The conflict left more than 900 people dead and over 4,700 injured in Iran, and 28 dead and more than 2,500 injured in Israel. Tel Aviv killed dozens of senior military commanders and nuclear scientists in Tehran. The Israeli prime minister even raised the possibility of assassinating Khamenei.
During the fighting, the Iranian supreme leader was reportedly at a secure location. In a speech a few days after the ceasefire took effect, Khamenei declared that Iran had defeated both Israel and the US. He also asserted that Iran would not surrender to the US.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, Reuters)
