Western Intelligence: Majid Khamenei's Health Condition Prevents Public Appearances

Western intelligence agencies estimate that the video showing Iran's Supreme Leader, Majid Khamenei, recently aired on Iranian media is not recent footage, but an older recording shot before the outbreak of the war.

According to Israeli site "i24news", these assessments are based on his appearance in the clip, where he appears wearing ordinary clerical attire rather than the garments of the supreme leader, reinforcing the theory that the filming occurred prior to his official appointment.

Sources indicate that his current health condition does not allow for public appearances, despite the ideal image the regime sought to project—him standing on a podium delivering a speech—a scenario sources say is currently unfeasible.

In contrast, Tehran attempts to suggest normalcy. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced he held a lengthy meeting with the Supreme Leader lasting seven hours, affirming that Majid Khamenei is "completely healthy," a statement met with widespread skepticism.

On Monday, the Supreme Leader's website published that Majid Khamenei issued a series of new decisions, including high-level military appointments, most notably appointing Colonel Ahmad Vahidi as commander of the Revolutionary Guards, following the deaths of several senior leaders during the recent war.

During a meeting with political parties and organizations, Tasnim News Agency quoted Pezeshkian as saying his latest session with the Supreme Leader lasted nearly seven hours, covering issues such as citizens' livelihoods, market conditions, employment, housing, the impact of sanctions, and strategies to confront "the enemy."

Earlier, Qasem Qarashi, deputy head of Iran's Basij forces, had announced that images of Iran's Supreme Leader, Majid Khamenei, would soon appear in public spaces.

Qarashi's statements come amid a wave of speculation about the Supreme Leader's health condition.

If Khamenei does appear publicly, it would mark the first such step since he assumed office last March, succeeding his late father Ali Khamenei.