Iran's Supreme Leader Resurfaces in Public

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began, attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura. The absence of Khamenei during the war had suggested heavy security for the Iranian leader, the AP reports, who has final say on all state matters. State TV in Iran showed Khamenei waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran.

There was no immediate report on any public statement made. Iranian officials such as the Parliament speaker were present, and such events are always held under heavy security. The 86-year-old had spent the war in a bunker as threats to his life escalated. After the US bombed three key nuclear sites in Iran, President Trump sent warnings via social media to Khamenei that the US knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, "at least for now." On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei made his first public comment in days, saying in a prerecorded statement that Tehran had delivered a "slap to America's face" by striking a US air base in Qatar and warning against further attacks by the US or Israel on Iran.