Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there is no problem with the country's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and rejected U.S. claims that he was wounded during recent strikes.
In remarks to MS Now on Saturday, Araqchi directly dismissed comments made a day earlier by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said on Friday that Khamenei had been injured and was "likely disfigured." Araqchi's statement framed the U.S. description of the leader's condition as inaccurate.
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed leadership after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which Iran has said occurred in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Since taking power, the new supreme leader has not been seen in public, a silence that has prompted ongoing speculation about his health and status.
Iranian officials have repeatedly maintained that Mojtaba Khamenei remains able to perform his duties despite the wider conflict. Araqchi's interview emphasized Tehran's position that the leader is functioning and that reports of incapacitation are unfounded.
The differing accounts from Iranian officials and the U.S. defense secretary underscore a broader clash of narratives as tensions persist between Iran and the United States. The statements arrive against the backdrop of an escalating regional war that has kept diplomatic and security concerns elevated.
Analysts and observers remain confronted with limited public information about the supreme leader's health, given his lack of public appearances since assuming power. The dispute over his condition is one element within a series of conflicting claims tied to the wider conflict between Iran and the United States.
Summary
Abbas Araqchi said Mojtaba Khamenei is not wounded and is capable of carrying out his duties, directly rejecting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's statement that Khamenei was injured and "likely disfigured." Khamenei succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the elder Khamenei's death in strikes Iran says were carried out by U.S.-Israeli forces. The new leader's absence from public events has fueled speculation, but Iranian officials continue to assert his fitness for office amid heightened tensions with the United States.