Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in the country but is refraining from making public appearances "for understandable reasons", the RTVI news outlet quoted Russia's ambassador to the country as saying on Tuesday.
Mojtaba replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed when Israel and the United States launched their war on Iran more than a month ago. The US has said it believes Mojtaba himself is wounded and likely disfigured.
Russia has close ties with Iran, with which it signed a strategic partnership treaty last year.
While addressing an event in Miami last week, US President Donald Trump repeated that Iran’s leadership had been eliminated, saying, “No, their leaders are dead. Their supreme leader is no longer supreme. He’s dead. The son is either dead or in very bad shape because nobody’s heard from him."
The Russian envoy’s remarks come amid heightened scrutiny over Iran’s leadership during the war, with Moscow reaffirming its engagement with Tehran. Russia and Iran maintain close diplomatic ties and signed a strategic partnership treaty last year, reinforcing cooperation despite ongoing regional tensions.
