Iran Releases Undated Video Of Mojtaba Khamenei Amid Health Rumours, Hormuz Talks Continue

Iran has released a 12 second video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as fresh reports about his health spread. The video comes as talks over the Strait of Hormuz appear to be moving towards a possible deal.

The footage was released by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency. It shows Khamenei sitting with several people and speaking to them. Iran has not said when or where the video was recorded.

That has left questions about his health. Khamenei has rarely been seen in public since becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the February 28 US Israeli attack.

The new video came after reports that his health had worsened. Iranian officials have rejected those claims. A senior Basij official has also said more videos could be released. These may show Khamenei meeting people, appearing in public and meeting military commanders.

According to Iranian state media, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also recently met Khamenei. The meeting reportedly covered the war, Iran’s economy, energy and foreign ties.

The health row comes as Iran and Oman move closer to an agreement on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the Oman deal was in its final stages. But Tehran has made clear that this does not mean the Strait will simply reopen.

Iran has now drawn a much harder line. Tehran says the Strait will not reopen until the US “corrects its behaviour.” Iran wants the US to stop its threats, end military action, lift the naval blockade and sanctions, release frozen Iranian assets and pay compensation for war damage.

And this is where Donald Trump’s latest comments become interesting.

Trump has said a deal could come soon. He has done that before too. At times, the message from Washington has been that a deal was close. Then came another threat, another warning or another deadline. And just like that, the deal that seemed to be around the corner moved further away.

This time, however, Trump appears to be talking more about a deal and less about threatening Iran. That does not mean an agreement is certain. But it does leave some room for hope.

The irony is hard to miss. If every round of “the deal is coming” is followed by a threat that pushes Iran away, then perhaps the absence of a fresh threat this time is itself a small reason to be hopeful or perhaps not as Iran could still be the side that walks away and kills the deal. Tehran’s latest demands are tough, and they go well beyond simply reopening the Strait. Iran is saying that the waterway will remain closed until Washington changes its actions. That gives Tehran a major say in whether the latest hopes turn into a real agreement.

There are also no direct US Iran talks at present. Iranian officials say messages are being passed through intermediaries.

US officials have said progress has been made. Trump has also suggested that an agreement could come soon. But the two sides still have major differences over what must happen before the Strait can fully reopen.

Regional tensions remain high too. Yemen’s Iran backed Houthis have claimed a drone attack on a Saudi Aramco facility in Jazan. Saudi authorities said the fire was put out and no injuries were reported.