Iranian foreign minister says there’s ‘no problem’ with new Supreme Leader

Published March 14, 2026 4:22pm ET



Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted on Saturday that there is “no problem” with the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, despite his absence from the public eye.

Khamenei, who was selected to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, after the former Ayatollah was killed on the first day of the war, has not made any public or live appearances since the start of the conflict. Khamenei delivered his first address to the nation on Thursday as a written statement, which was read by an Iranian state media newscaster. He notably did not appear on television, sparking speculation about his physical state from pundits.

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