TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has held a rare, high-level meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to address pressing national challenges and the country's military trajectory, according to an official statement released by the supreme leader’s office on Sunday.
The announcement marks a significant development as Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not made a public appearance since assuming Iran's top leadership role early in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
"Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian met Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and spoke with him at the start of his third year in the presidency," the supreme leader's office stated, without disclosing the precise date or location of the consultation. Pezeshkian originally assumed office in July 2024.
According to official readouts, the two leaders conducted detailed discussions concerning key domestic challenges, focusing heavily on Iran's current defense posture and future strategic options.
The revelation of the meeting follows days of widespread speculation surrounding the Supreme Leader's health and accessibility. Just days earlier, President Pezeshkian publicly acknowledged that maintaining direct communication with Khamenei was "very difficult at the moment." Unconfirmed reports had previously suggested that the Supreme Leader sustained injuries in military strikes that claimed the life of his predecessor and father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The political dialogue occurs against the backdrop of heightened regional tension and diplomatic stagnation. Early efforts between Tehran and Washington to negotiate an end to hostilites launched by the U.S. and Israel earlier this year collapsed after preliminary terms fell through. Iranian foreign ministry officials have since confirmed that diplomatic engagements with Washington remain restricted to indirect exchanges conveyed via international mediators.
Addressing growing public queries regarding the leadership's presence, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency cited a senior commander from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reassuring citizens that visual evidence of the Supreme Leader would be released soon.
According to the general, official photographs and broadcast footage capturing Khamenei conducting state meetings and engaging with the public will be published "in the future," though no firm timeframe was provided.
