The Iranian state news agency Mehr has published a 12-second video, without date or location, that purports to show Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
In the released footage, a man wearing a black turban and light gray clothes is seen sitting on a carpet in a closed room, while talking to other people. Mehr described the video as the first publicly released footage of Mojtaba Khamenei, without giving details about when and where it was recorded.
According to NDTV World, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB also released a similar video on March 20, also without a date or location. In that case, the footage was presented as of Mojtaba Khamenei teaching religious sciences.
Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed as Iran's third Supreme Leader on March 8. Since taking office, state media has published written statements from him, but there have been few images or recordings of him.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated this week that communication with Khamenei is currently very difficult, although he said he had held productive meetings with him.
Meanwhile, last month, US President Donald Trump claimed that Khamenei was "90 percent gone," while Israeli media reported on the Iranian leader's suspected serious health condition.
Mehr's release of the video appears to be intended to show that Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and active, but the lack of a date and location of the recording does not allow for independent verification of when the footage was taken.
