‘Very difficult to communicate with him’: Iranian President on Mojtaba Khamenei amid war with US
Amid reports of alleged differences within Iran’s top leadership over the ongoing war with the US, the Islamic Republic’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly said that communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has become “very difficult at the moment”.
Mojtaba has been in hiding after he got injured in February 28 strikes by the US and Israel, the same attack that killed his father and former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has not yet appeared in public since the attack, including at the funeral of his father held last month. The Iranian leadership, according to several reports, has since been following a sophisticated method of communicating with him without compromising his location.
“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, as quoted by news agency AFP.
He added he had been able to hold meetings with him and was met with “kindness and very sound logic”.
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“Unfortunately, the current situation allows some malicious people to describe him differently and to present a different image of him,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian President’s remarks come days after reports claimed that the Iranian leadership was divided over the endgame of their war with the US.
The hard-liners, on one hand, are pressing for total victory against the US and are opposed to any negotiations, while those backing the Pezeshkian and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf see military pressure as a way to win a negotiated deal with the United States, Associated Press had reported on Sunday, August.
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‘Enemies sought to replicate Syria’s fate for Iran’
On Wednesday, the Iranian President sought to present a united front during his televised address to the nation and credited Mojtaba Khamenei for ensuring unity across the country.
“Enemies tried to topple the Islamic Republic, but the country’s new Leader kept Iran united and strong…Enemies sought to replicate Syria’s fate for Iran through wars and sanctions,” Pezeshkian said.
He added that it was resilience and determination of Iranian people that foiled these plans.
“Unity among Iranians remains the primary factor in standing firm against enemies,” he said.
Tehran is currently in talks with Oman to strike a deal over the Strait of Hormuz which would help end the war in West Asia. According to a proposed deal between Iran and Oman, the former could get control over ships entering Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported on Wednesday citing a senior Iranian source and two regional officials.
(With inputs from wires)