Iran President Pezeshkian admits contact with Mojtaba Khamenei ‘very difficult at the moment’
3 min readUpdated: Aug 6, 2026 01:00 PM IST
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that communication with the country’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was very “difficult at the moment,” but stressed that his leadership continued to provide strength and resolve.
“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, according to news agency AFP.
Khamenei was injured in the US-Israeli strike on Iran that escalated tensions in the Middle East.
The Iranian leader has not appeared in public since he succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the same US-Israeli attack.
The younger Khamenei has communicated only through written statements, but his low profile during the times of conflict with the United States has raised speculations about his relations with other senior Iranian officials. Trump had also claimed that the new Supreme Leader of Iran was in “bad shape”.
Khamenei notably also drew attention by not attending his father’s funeral last month.
Pezeshkian, however, defended Khamenei, stating that he had held constructive meetings with him and that their interactions had been marked by “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,” he said.
Khamenei issues ‘final ultimatum’ to Pezeshkian, backs IRGC commander, says report
Recently, reports suggested that Pezeshkian was at odds with Khamenei, as the Supreme Leader issued a “final ultimatum” to the president and threw his weight behind Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Ahmad Vahidi on crucial decisions regarding the negotiations and conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 14, citing sources familiar with developments, said that Iran’s Supreme Leader has effectively deprived Pezeshkian of primary political leverage by declining to dissuade him from resigning.
The report claims that Pezeshkian had repeatedly used the prospect of resignation during policy disputes with Iranian leadership and formally offered to step down in May, arguing that his administration had been “entirely sidelined” from decisions on national security and foreign policy.
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