Mojtaba Khamenei alive, ‘increasingly engaging’, says Rubio

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday, June 2, that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and becoming increasingly engaged in governing the country, despite remaining out of public view after being wounded in US-Israeli attacks.

“I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The 56-year-old has not been seen publicly since succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening wave of US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on February 28.

Rubio suggested that security concerns could explain Khamenei’s continued absence from public appearances.

“I would imagine, given what’s happened to multiple leaders in that system, being very public is probably not something that’s recommended for them internally,” he said.

The remarks came as Rubio expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for renewed diplomacy with Tehran. He said Iran had agreed to discuss aspects of its nuclear programme that it had previously refused to negotiate.

However, Rubio stressed that any agreement would require significant concessions from Tehran, including strict limits on uranium enrichment and greater transparency over its nuclear activities.

His comments were made during a Senate hearing as efforts continue to revive negotiations and reduce tensions following months of conflict that have destabilised the Middle East and disrupted global energy markets.