Iran's President Meets Supreme Leader Khamenei, State Media Says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in late July, according to state media, marking a rare confirmed interaction between the two since Khamenei assumed the role in March. The meeting, which took place around the start of Pezeshkian's third year in office, covered military affairs and economic matters, including resource security, foreign exchange management, energy use, and economic ties with foreign partners.

Pezeshkian's recent public statements about his access to Khamenei have been inconsistent. On July 21, he said interactions with the supreme leader were "increasing day by day," but by early August he described communication with Khamenei as "very difficult." The new report appears to address some of that ambiguity.

This is not the first reported meeting between the two. In May, state media said Pezeshkian had met Khamenei for several hours, which was then the first publicly confirmed encounter since Khamenei became supreme leader. Khamenei has largely stayed out of public view since succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on February 28 that marked the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

On Sunday, a deputy commander of the Basij Organisation, Qasem Qoraishi, said footage and documentation showing Khamenei in public settings, including streets and meetings with armed forces commanders, would be released in the future. Qoraishi said the material would "once again bring disgrace upon the enemies and detractors of the Iranian people," a statement widely seen as an effort to counter speculation about Khamenei's health and his lack of public appearances.