Iran says Supreme Leader Khamenei in good health after injury rumors

2026-03-17 - 13:22

Shafaq News- Tehran Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and may soon address the public, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Tuesday. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier said Khamenei was injured and “likely disfigured.” Israeli media later reported he sustained leg injuries and underwent surgery after being transferred to Russia —claims Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, rejected. The Kremlin declined to comment when reporters asked about the reports. Khamenei has not appeared publicly since assuming the position following the assassination of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though he issued a statement on the 13th day of the war vowing retaliation for what he described as US-Israeli “aggression” against Iran. “This file [revenge] will remain above all others until it is fully resolved.”