Purported new visuals of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei emerge amid health concerns

Amidst recent health concerns surrounding Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's semi-official Mehr News agency released a video allegedly featuring him on August 8. The video showed Khamenei sitting and conversing with others, giving the impression of good health. However, the video's authenticity remains unverified by HT.com.

IranWire reported, based on sources close to President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration, that rumors circulated of Khamenei being in "extremely critical condition," while Israeli media also suggested he was in "critical condition." A source quoted by The Jerusalem Post suggested that there might be a possibility of Khamenei's martyrdom soon.

Khamenei ascended to the position of Supreme Leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in strikes by the United States and Israel on February 28, leading to the current conflict. Reports suggest that Khamenei sustained injuries and potential disfigurement in the strikes and is currently undergoing treatment. Since the attack, he has not appeared in public and has been communicating with senior officials through intermediaries to avoid detection.

The video's circulation on social media led some to claim it was an old video circulated by Iran's state media to mislead the public about Khamenei's health. Policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, Jason Brodsky, stated on X that the footage was old and first circulated in March, questioning whether the Iranian regime's Mehr News was attempting to deceive people.

Other social media accounts suggested that the footage was exposed by Iranians as old material from Khamenei's past lectures in Qom.