Overview
- Pezeshkian, who disclosed the meeting Thursday, said it lasted nearly two and a half hours in a relaxed setting in the first official account of a face-to-face with the new leader.
- Officials released no details on decisions or timing of the encounter, though Pezeshkian praised Mojtaba Khamenei’s vision and humble approach.
- Khamenei has stayed out of public view since early March after a March 12 government statement said he was wounded in US and Israeli strikes, and his messages have been issued only in writing.
- The president used the announcement to urge unity, note rising prices and other strains, and restate that opening the Strait of Hormuz comes only after a naval blockade is lifted.
- Al Jazeera cast the move as pushing back on narratives of a split leadership as analysts say senior Revolutionary Guard figures hold heightened sway over wartime choices and talks tied to Hormuz.