Tehran announces meeting between Mojtaba and Buzeshkian, pledges to release footage of the Supreme Leader in the future

Iranian state media reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in late July, at the start of his third year in office, while a commander of the Basij forces promised to release footage of Khamenei in the future.

Pezeshkian made conflicting remarks in recent weeks regarding his ability to meet Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since succeeding the former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in March.

On July 21, the president said his interactions with the Supreme Leader “are increasing day by day,” but in early August he stated that communication with Khamenei was “extremely difficult.”

In May, state media also reported that Pezeshkian met with Khamenei for several hours, marking the first publicly acknowledged meeting between the two since Khamenei assumed the role of Supreme Leader.

Reports indicate that Khamenei was seriously injured in an attack on February 28 that killed his father, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

For his part, Qasem Qorashi, deputy commander of the Basij, said that video footage and other documents showing Khamenei among the public and in the streets, as well as during meetings with military commanders, would be released in the future.