Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will not appear in public until the war with the United States and Israel ends and security conditions improve, an Iranian source told TASS on Friday.
The source also added that his first interaction with a foreign leader may be with Russian President Vladimir Putin.The source said, “His Excellency will not appear in public in the near future for security reasons. The government is waiting for the situation to return to normal. After that, he will appear in public.”The source said Khamenei’s first contact with a foreign leader could be a phone call or a meeting with Putin, highlighting the deep ties between Tehran and Moscow amid the war.Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking office in February, after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli raids on February 28. He also missed the funeral.Since his disappearance from the public eye, he has only been contacted through written statements.The United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, killing Khamenei’s father and a number of other senior Iranian officials.
In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding stipulating an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.However, the United States resumed large-scale air strikes on Iran on July 8, accusing Tehran of violating the agreement, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran denied the accusations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stating on July 13 that Iran had never violated the memorandum and that Washington bore full responsibility for its collapse.These comments come amid reports of worsening internal disputes in Tehran, with hardliners accusing the country’s civilian leadership of orchestrating a “soft coup” against the Supreme Leader.