Kamal Ghorui
Senior official in the Iranian government dismissed claims by the United States on the health of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and said that he is healthy.Member of the assembly of experts and the deputy for international affairs in the office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mohsen Qomi said that such tactics are used by the West to elicit their reaction and engage in rumour mongering.“Some people ask about the health status of His Eminence the Leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei. This is a trick used by the enemy, who wants to say, ‘Why is he not present? Why doesn’t he send an audio or video message?” he said, as quoted by Fars News Agency.“Why don’t the people who have visited him come forward and speak?’ They want to use these questions to force us into reacting, so they can achieve their goals,” he added.Qomi also confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei was in the building which was bombed, but was ultimately saved.“He was in that very building that was bombed, where others were martyred. Just minutes before the explosion, by God’s will he had gone into the courtyard. God wanted him to be preserved,” he said.“Currently, he is in perfect health and is actively managing affairs. He oversees matters related to negotiations and field operations with his direct supervision. Recently, he even gave specific instructions to the negotiating team regarding what actions to take under various conditions. He has full command over the situation,” Qomi added, as reported by Fars News agency.Qomi said that despite his injuries, Iranian officials were now focused on preserving the Supreme Leader’s life.“Right now, the most important issue for us is to help preserve the life of His Eminence the Leader, who is currently the Proof of God on earth. And I assure you that despite the injuries he sustained there, Almighty God preserved him as a treasure for the Shia,” he said.This comes as several media outlets of US reported that Khamenei is facing critical medical challenges after surviving a bomb attack, raising questions over his ability to exercise full control as the country navigates war and fragile ceasefire talks.According to the New York Times report, Khamenei has undergone surgery on his hand, suffered severe facial burns and is awaiting a prosthetic leg following injuries sustained in the strike.While he remains mentally capable of making decisions, his physical condition has significantly limited his direct engagement.The New York Times had reported earlier that Mojtaba Khamenei has largely remained out of public view following the February 28 airstrikes on the compound of the former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, where he had been residing. The attack also led to the deaths of his wife and son.
