Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared in public Saturday night for the first time since Israel’s military strike on Iranian targets last month, attending an Ashura event in Tehran.
Until now, Khamenei had limited his messages to sparse pre-recorded statements, as Iran faced heavy losses in leadership and military infrastructure during its war with Israel. Despite the setbacks, Khamenei last week declared what he called a “victory,” claiming Iran would rapidly rebuild damaged nuclear facilities.
Khamenei makes first public appearance since outbreak of Israel-Iran war
In response, U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that the only reason Khamenei was still alive was because he had instructed Israel not to assassinate him. An Israeli official, however, countered that Israel had decided not to target Khamenei on the operation’s first day, despite having the capability to do so alongside strikes on senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists.
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During the war, Israel reportedly reconsidered the option of assassinating the Iranian leader but lacked actionable intelligence, as Khamenei had gone into hiding.
According to a report in The New York Times, Khamenei, aware of the threat to his life, quietly designated three possible successors and selected replacements for key military commanders, anticipating further Israeli strikes.
He is said to have communicated with his forces through a close aide and ceased using digital communications entirely to avoid detection.