Putin says he received message from Iran's elusive new supreme leader
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Kremlin says Putin received message from Iran’s Supreme Leader via envoy.
- US officials question leadership status and visibility of Iranian leader.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he received a message last week from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard from since he was announced as his late father’s successor more than six weeks ago.
“Please convey to the Supreme Leader my appreciation for his message and my best wishes for his good health and well-being,” Putin said Monday during a meeting in St. Petersburg with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a readout from the Kremlin.
Read more: Araghchi says meeting with Putin ‘will be a good opportunity to discuss war developments’
“We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence and sovereignty,” Putin said, adding Russia “will do everything that meets your interests and the interests of all peoples in the region in order to ensure that this peace is achieved as quickly as possible.”
Questions have been swirling about Khamenei’s wellbeing given his prolonged absence as the war between the US, Israel and Iran grinds on.
A source told CNN last month that Khamenei had suffered a fractured foot, a bruised left eye and minor lacerations to his face in the same wave of strikes that killed his father and Iran’s top military commanders.
Read more: US offers $10M reward for Iran-aligned leader in Iraq
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the US “has indications” that Khamenei is still alive, though he said it’s not clear how much credibility the new supreme leader has in Iran.
“We don’t have evidence that he’s not (alive). I think the question between alive and in power are two different questions,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.
Another report on Reuters cited unnamed sources as saying he is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and new negotiations with Washington.
