Mojtaba Khamenei in good health, leading Iran: Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and continues to lead the country, dismissing questions over the leader’s prolonged absence from public view.

In an interview with Fox News, Pezeshkian said he met Khamenei in person about a month ago and spent several hours discussing national issues.

He said Khamenei was healthy and continued to provide guidance on matters of state.

Pezeshkian also referred to a nearly seven-hour meeting with Khamenei in August, saying they discussed people’s livelihoods, employment, sanctions, national unity and the war. He had described Khamenei as being in full physical health after that meeting.

Mojtaba Khamenei became supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28. He has remained largely out of public view since then, while Iranian state media has released images and footage of meetings involving him.

Pezeshkian also said Iran remains interested in turning a July memorandum with the United States into a final agreement, but warned that Tehran would defend itself if attacked.