Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Reports on Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's Health

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Thursday that he last met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approximately a month ago and described him as 'completely' healthy. Pezeshkian made these remarks during an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier. He noted that their meeting lasted about seven hours and involved discussions on various topics. Khamenei, who is 56 years old, has not made a public appearance or appeared on video since becoming supreme leader. Pezeshkian asserted that Khamenei is capable of governing and that his administration continues to receive directions from him. He attributed Khamenei's reclusiveness to security concerns stemming from foreign actions. Pezeshkian expressed that Iran is seeking an agreement with the United States to end the ongoing conflict and remains willing to move forward with a memorandum of understanding signed in Pakistan in June, which had previously fallen apart due to continued attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasized that misunderstandings and a lack of coordination were the reasons for the agreement's failure, rather than the IRGC's actions. Pezeshkian also stated that Iran will continue to resist until the end and warned of a strong response to US attacks, attributing the war to instigations by Israel. He commented on reports of Chinese entities providing Iran with satellite images of US bases, stating he was unaware of such images and that military interactions between countries are their own business. Pezeshkian did not confirm whether he believes a deal could be reached to end the war by the end of the year.