Communication with Mojtaba 'very difficult at moment', says Iran's president

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that communicating with the country's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "very difficult at the moment", while insisting that the leader's presence remains a major source of strength for Iran's leadership.

"It is very difficult to communicate with him at the moment, but in any case, his presence is a very great source of strength for us so that we can continue," Pezeshkian said.

Khamenei was wounded in the US-Israeli strike that launched the Middle East war, and has not appeared in public since succeeding his father, who was killed in the same attack.

The younger Khamenei has communicated through written statements. His low profile at a time when Iran is in conflict with the United States has fuelled speculation about his relations with other top officials.

He notably did not appear at his father's funeral ceremonies last month.

Pezeshkian defended his leader, however, insisting he had been able to hold productive meetings with him and had been met with "kindness and very sound logic".

"Unfortunately, the current situation allows some malicious people to describe him differently and to present a different image of him," he said.

The supreme leader's absence from public view has remained a focal point since he assumed the most powerful post in Iran's political structure, with written statements serving as his main channel of communication.

Pezeshkian's remarks are among the most direct public comments by a senior Iranian official on the condition and accessibility of the new supreme leader, coming amid continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington.