Srinagar– Iran’s state media has rebutted speculations about the health of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, asserting that the 85-year-old leader is in good health. The rumours spread after claims by Western media suggested Khamenei was in a coma. However, the Supreme Leader’s meeting on Sunday with Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, served as a public rebuttal of these assertions.
The meeting, held in Tehran, was widely publicized by Iran’s state-run media. Press TV posted a picture of the Supreme Leader with Amani on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it: “Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei met with the Iranian envoy to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who was injured in an Israeli terror attack in Lebanon when thousands of pagers exploded.”
A senior official at Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB dismissed the rumors, telling Kashmir Observer: “There is no such thing. He is completely fine.”
Ambassador Mojtaba Amani, who suffered injuries in the September pager explosions triggered by Israeli spy agency in Lebanon, briefed Sayyed Khamenei about his recovery. The attack had left dozens dead and injured and targeted several locations in Lebanon, including areas near the Iranian mission. Amani sustained injuries to his left eye and was flown to Tehran for medical care.
The rumors of Iran leaders ill health reignited discussions about his succession. Social media was abuzz with claims that Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s second-oldest son, had been chosen as his successor.
However, analysts say there is no scope for succession of Mojtaba as his successor as it is against the country’s constitution.These allegations gained traction after reports in The New York Times and Israeli media outlets suggested that the Assembly of Experts had held a secret meeting in late September to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as the next Supreme Leader.
Despite the persistent rumors, Iran’s state media has labeled the claims as speculative and baseless. Historical images of Khamenei on a hospital bed, falsely circulated as recent, have also been debunked, with experts tracing them back to 2014.
Analysts say the publicized meeting with Amani appears to be a strategic move to quash rumors and project stability within Iran’s leadership. Observers note that such displays are critical at a time when the nation faces mounting external and internal pressures, including sanctions and public discontent.
The Supreme Leader of Iran is selected by members of the Assembly of Experts. Directly elected by the public from a list of candidates vetted by the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts is made up of 88 jurists with the responsibility of supervising the Supreme Leader and selecting a new one.
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