Mojtaba Khamenei Makes First Public Appearance, Discusses Economy and War with President Pezeshkian

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei held a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday (9/8) to discuss the latest developments in the country’s economic, military, and defence situation. The meeting drew significant attention as it marked Khamenei’s first public appearance before the media since the outbreak of armed conflict between Iran and the United States five months ago.

‘The Leader of the Islamic Revolution met and spoke with the President about economic and military issues,’ read an official statement released via the Supreme Leader’s official Telegram channel. The statement noted that the two leaders held in-depth discussions on various strategic national issues, focusing on meeting the people’s basic needs, evaluating the situation of the ‘Third War’ imposed on Iran with a future-oriented perspective, and updating the state of national defence.

Beyond the defence sector, Mojtaba Khamenei and Pezeshkian paid special attention to national economic and financial stability. They evaluated the position of the national currency, the rial, the dynamics of the energy sector, and the direction of Iran’s economic cooperation with foreign partner countries. The high-level meeting came shortly after video footage of Khamenei circulated widely on local Iranian media, though the Supreme Leader’s office offered no specific comment on the video’s release, choosing only to publish the official points of the discussion with President Pezeshkian.