The office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei released a video and several photos of the cleric at a religious ceremony with a group of students on Saturday, following rumors about his health.
In the video broadcast on state television, Khamenei, 83, is seen standing and praying at a religious ceremony in Tehran on Saturday. Iranian officials also released several photos of the leader standing in front of students at the ceremony for the Arbain festival, a major Iranian holiday. The country’s state media, such as the IRNA and Mehr agencies, published images and news of the meeting, without mentioning the state of health of Iran’s supreme leader.
This was his first public appearance after rumors emerged last week that he was ill and had to cancel several events, including a meeting with the Assembly of Experts, which decides on his replacement.
The New York Times reported Friday that Khamenei was seriously ill and had undergone surgery for intestinal problems. “The Ayatollah was in critical condition last week but he has improved,” an unnamed source told the newspaper, adding that “his doctors are worried about him because he is so weak that he cannot even sit up in bed.”
Iranian authorities do not usually release information about the Ayatollah’s health. In 2014, it was reported that he had undergone prostate surgery. Khamenei has been Iran’s highest political official since he became supreme leader on June 4, 1989, following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Source: Observadora
