Reports have emerged suggesting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in a coma; however, on Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader shared a photograph of himself engaging with an Iranian ambassador.
Recent media coverage has indicated that Khamenei, aged 85, is in a coma and has purportedly designated his 55-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor during a clandestine meeting. These claims followed an October report by The New York Times, which stated that Khamenei was “seriously ill.”
In the image shared on Khamenei’s X account, he is depicted conversing with Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, within his office.
“Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, met and spoke with Mr. Mojtaba Amani, the esteemed ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lebanon, at noon today, during his routine meetings,” he wrote in Persian.
ظهر امروز یکشنبه ۲۷ آبان ۱۴۰۳؛ دیدار و گفتوگو با آقای مجتبی امانی، سفیر جانباز جمهوری اسلامی ایران در لبنان pic.twitter.com/ctIRbi9bVA
— KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی 🇮🇷 (@Khamenei_fa) November 17, 2024
Amani was one of nearly 3,000 individuals injured when devices such as pagers and walkie-talkies, utilized by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, detonated in Lebanon in September. The incident also resulted in the deaths of at least 39 people, with both Iran and Hezbollah attributing the attack to Israel.
Amani provided an update on his current health condition, as stated in an official announcement.
Last month, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered his first sermon in five years following Iran’s launch of 180 missiles aimed at critical infrastructure in Israel. He asserted that Israel “will not endure for long,” expressing support for Palestinian and Lebanese factions opposing Israel during his rare address on October 5.
Speaking to tens of thousands of supporters at a mosque in Tehran, Khamenei defended the missile strikes on Israel as a form of “public service.” While holding a firearm, the Iranian leader proclaimed that Israel would not succeed against Hamas or Hezbollah.
Iran extends its support to both Hamas and Hezbollah, who are actively engaged in combat with Israeli forces on the southern and northern borders.
