First Video Attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei Since His Disappearance… 12 Seconds Deepen the Mystery
Semi-official Iranian media outlets have attributed a short video to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in an apparent attempt to put an end to speculation surrounding his whereabouts and health condition.
However, the video has only deepened the controversy. The 12 seconds attributed to the supreme leader, who has been absent for more than five months, have raised more questions than they have answered.
The semi-official Mehr News Agency published the video, describing it as the “first video of” the Iranian supreme leader.
The date on which the video was recorded remains unclear, as does whether it was filmed before or after February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and wounded his successor, Mojtaba, who has not appeared publicly since.
In the video attributed to him, Mojtaba appears seated on the floor while speaking to a group of people. The footage was filmed from only one angle, and his voice cannot be heard, as a sequence of praise was added over the few seconds of footage.
Mojtaba appears to be in good physical condition in the alleged video, raising questions about why he did not attend any of his father’s funeral ceremonies, which were held from July 4 to July 9.
Since being selected as supreme leader in March, Mojtaba’s public appearances have been limited to written messages attributed to him and read out by Iranian media outlets.
A Highly Unusual Meeting
The release of the video came after media reports described an unusual “meeting” between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
The opposition channel Iran International said it had obtained exclusive information revealing details of a meeting between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to the channel, Pezeshkian was escorted by security personnel to a secret location in Tehran, where he met Khamenei in the back seat of a commercial vehicle with dark-tinted windows.
The meeting reportedly lasted only a few minutes before the Iranian president was asked to leave.
The unusual nature of the meeting reportedly went even further. According to the sources, Pezeshkian was not allowed to shake Khamenei’s hand or even see his face, with communication between the two reportedly limited to hearing each other’s voices.
The sources added that the treatment angered Pezeshkian, who reportedly considered it humiliating. Staff members at the presidential office reportedly quoted him as asking, after his return, whether the person he had spoken to inside the vehicle was actually the supreme leader, since he had left the meeting without seeing his face.
It remains unclear whether this question stemmed from his anger or whether he genuinely doubted the identity of the person he had met.
In April, Reuters reported, citing three sources described as being close to Khamenei’s inner circle, that Mojtaba’s face had been disfigured by the airstrike that killed his father on the first day of the war.
According to the sources, Mojtaba Khamenei suffered severe injuries to his face and leg as a result of the airstrike.
