Iranian leader Khamenei breaks cover after 'hiding in a bunker'

Khamenei had not made a public appearance since Ibefore the war with Israel (Image: Getty)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance on Saturday since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began. State television footage showed him greeting worshippers at a mosque during a ceremony a day before the festival of Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hossein.

Khamenei's last non-public appearance was in a recorded address after the ceasefire that ended the 12-day war, which began on June 13 and during which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed. In a surprise attack, Israel targeted Iran's nuclear and military sites, after which Iran retaliated with aerial strikes on Israel. Throughout the war, Khamenei appeared on TV in three video messages. It is suggested Khamenei had been in seclusion in a bunker, something not confirmed by state media.

On Saturday, Iranian media focused heavily on Khamenei's public appearance. A video posted by Press TV on X featured scenes of black-clad worshippers expressing happiness at Khamenei on screen. In the footage, he turns to senior cleric Mahmoud Karimi and encourages him to perform the patriotic song "O Iran," which gained renewed popularity during the recent clashes with Israel.

According to state television, the recording was made at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Mosque, named after the founder of the Islamic Republic. Iranian broadcasters have invited people to submit videos showing their responses to Khamenei's return to public view.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday attended a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura. (Image: Getty)

On June 26, just two days after agreeing to a ceasefire with Israel, Khamenei delivered a video address in which he declared "victory" and claimed the United States had "gained no achievements" from its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

In response, US President Donald Trump accused Khamenei of lying, asserting that Iran's nuclear sites had been "obliterated" and that he had spared the supreme leader from "a very ugly and ignominious death."

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, amid growing tensions between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog following the war. The move will further limit inspectors' ability to track the program, which had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.

Iran has acknowledged the deaths of more than 900 people in the war, as well as thousands of injuries.