On Jan. 17, in Tehran’s Mosalla (Grand Prayer Grounds), Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the “Supreme Leader” of the Islamic Republic of Iran, led the Friday prayer to address the supporters of his regime. This was the first time in eight years that he appeared as the imam of Friday prayer. He led the prayer following the killing of Qassem Soleimani by the United States. What was very interesting and extremely unusual was, for the first time in public, the presence of Khamenei’s personal doctor.

In one of the photos, Khamenei’s doctor is sitting in the first row behind Khamenei and between his powerful son, Mojtabah Khamenei, and his oldest son, Mostafa Khamenei. In the photo, the doctor has a hard-shell briefcase and what appears to be a small covered cylinder. This could be a clear indication of the deterioration of Khamenei’s health condition. Khamenei is turning 81 years old in April, and his deteriorating health raises questions about his replacement and what else will happen when he dies.