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Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a written message thanking the people of Iraq for their support during the ongoing war against the United States and Israel, according to Iranian media reports on Sunday.

In the message, Khamenei “expressed his appreciation to the supreme religious authority (in Iraq) and the people of Iraq for their clear stance against aggression against Iran and their support for our country,” the ISNA news agency reported. The reference was to Iraq-based cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam.

The message was delivered following a meeting between the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shia political party, and the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad. However, no further details were provided on how the communication was transmitted, AFP reported.

Absence Fuels Speculation

Khamenei, the son of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has not appeared in public since being named to the post after his father was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war on February 28.

His continued absence has led to intense speculation about his condition and whereabouts. State television and some Iranian officials have indicated that he is recovering from wounds sustained in an airstrike, though this has not been independently verified.

Since assuming office, Khamenei has issued only a handful of written statements, including one marking the Persian New Year, Nowruz. Both messages were read out on television by another speaker and predicted victory in the conflict.

State media have published images of Khamenei, but without confirming whether they are recent. He is also reported to maintain official accounts on Telegram and X.

Trump Questions Leader’s Status

The development comes days after US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader was either dead or in critical condition following recent US military operations.

“Their leaders are dead. Their supreme leader is no longer supreme. He’s dead. His son is either dead or in very bad shape, because nobody’s heard from him. I think he says, ‘Just keep me out of this,’” Trump said earlier.

Last week, Trump also stated that Washington was engaging with a “top person” in talks with Iran but clarified it was not the supreme leader.

“We have not heard from the son... We don't know if he is living,” he added.

Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, succeeding both his father and the revolution’s founding leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.