Iranian state media confirmed that President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in late July 2026, amid growing speculation about the new leader's health and accessibility. The announcement came after reports last week that Pezeshkian had threatened to resign if he could not secure a personal meeting with Khamenei.
A senior Revolutionary Guard commander also promised that video footage of Khamenei—who has not been seen publicly since assuming power—will be released in the future. Qasem Quraishi, deputy commander of the Basij paramilitary organization, stated that recordings showing Khamenei among the public, in the streets, and meeting with armed forces commanders would be made available. He claimed the forthcoming footage would "once again bring shame upon the enemies and detractors of the Iranian people," an apparent response to mounting questions about the supreme leader's condition.
President Pezeshkian has offered conflicting accounts in recent weeks regarding his access to the supreme leader. On July 21, he claimed that contacts and interactions with Khamenei were "growing day by day," but in early August reversed course, describing communication with him as "very difficult."
According to state media, the late July meeting focused primarily on military matters and national economic management. Topics discussed included resource mobilization, foreign currency reserve management, energy consumption regulation, and strengthening economic ties with Iran's foreign partners.
This meeting follows an earlier reported encounter in May 2026, when the two men reportedly met for several hours. Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the position of supreme leader in March 2026 after his father was killed in an airstrike on February 28, 2026—an attack in which Mojtaba himself was seriously injured.
