Where is Iran’s supreme leader? Regime claims Khamenei in ‘full health’

Commuters walk past a large tiled image of Iran's current leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as they enter and leave the metro station in Tehran on May 9, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE /AFP via Getty Images

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Iran’s supreme leader’s long absence from public view has led to growing speculation that the injuries he sustained in an airstrike on Feb. 28 are more severe than the regime is letting on.

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In Tehran’s first public statement on Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition, a senior official told Fars News on Friday that the supreme leader was “in full health.”

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“(His) back injury has improved during this period, and the kneecap injury will soon heal as well,” added Mazaher Hosseini, director general of protocol at the office of the supreme leader, according to a translation by the Telegraph. Countering reports on Khamenei’s facial injuries, Hosseini said there was only a “small crack behind the ear.”

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Khamenei has been in hiding since he was injured on the first day of the Iran-U.S. war on Feb. 28. He reportedly narrowly escaped death after missiles struck and flattened his father’s fortified compound. The surprise airstrike killed his wife, son and his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

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The New York Times reported in late April that the younger Khamenei was being tended to by a team of doctors and medical staff and that access to him was otherwise limited. Senior officials do not visit him due to safety concerns. Instead, the 56-year-old leader writes down all his instructions that are hand-delivered by a series of trusted couriers.

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Four Iranian officials aware of his condition told the paper that Khamenei’s severely burned face and lips would require plastic surgery. One of his hands was slowly regaining function, and he was awaiting a prosthetic leg.

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Since he was appointed the leader in March, Iranian state media have issued only written statements attributed to Khamenei, who has not been seen in public. The reclusive Khameini kept a low profile and was rarely seen in public or photographed before becoming Iran’s third supreme leader.

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An image of him appearing without any sign of injury posted to Khamenei’s X account appears to be AI-generated, a BBC analysis shows. The image is believed to have been taken from a video recorded years ago at a pro-government rally.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had met with Khamenei for more than two hours last week, the first time a meeting with the ruler has been reported.

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Additionally, Iran’s state broadcaster reported that Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s Central Military Headquarters, had met the cleric on Sunday and provided a report “on the readiness of Iran’s armed forces.” During the meeting, Khamenei ordered military operations against the U.S. and Israel to continue, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

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“During this meeting, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, while expressing appreciation for the brave and valiant fighters and the country’s powerful armed forces, issued new directives and guidance for continuing operations and confronting enemies decisively,” the IRIB reported.