Iran's Supreme Leader appears in public for first time since war with Israel

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has appeared in public for the first time since the start of the 12-day war with Israel, in which the Israeli army killed several top Iranian political, military and scientific leaders.

On July 5, Iranian state television showed Khamenei waving to a chanting crowd as he entered a mosque located next to his residence in Tehran.

Khamenei attended ceremonies marking Ashura, an important Islamic day of remembrance, and state media reported that he did not deliver a speech at the event.

Others present spoke of "resistance" to the attacks and that Iran "will never surrender," a reference to Khamenei in earlier statements, state media reported.

Khamenei (86), once the ubiquitous face of the Islamic Republic, retreated into near-total isolation during the war launched by Israel on June 13 amid reports that he was on an Israeli hit list.

His only appearances - a few video statements, the second of which was apparently filmed in a bunker with reduced production quality - did little to convince the nation.

United States President Donald Trump said he thwarted Israeli attacks on Khamenei at least twice.

Trump once stressed in a message amid harsh Israeli attacks that the US was informed of his whereabouts but had no intention of killing him.

The US military has also carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming to have destroyed them, although details are difficult to confirm.

The absence of the supreme leader has been the subject of speculation on social media in Iran, and occasionally the target of jokes.

Despite the losses Iran has suffered, particularly in its nuclear program and military leadership, Khamenei claimed in a recorded message on June 26 that Iran had won the conflict against Israel and the United States (US), a claim echoed by other state officials and media outlets.

Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News anchor and right-wing media personality in the US, said on July 5 that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian that would be released "in a day or two."

In a video message on X, Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely and through a translator.

Carlson said he also offered to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington on July 7, but has not yet received a response.