Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, bedridden with illness after he underwent emergency gastrointestinal surgery, reportedly made a public appearance Saturday after he cancelled all meetings.
Khamenei spoke to students in Tehran in person after two weeks of resting due to his deteriorating health. Khamenei, who normally speaks while sitting, addressed the crowd standing, ABC News reported. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Friday that Khamenei was supposed to attend a religious ceremony with university students, according to the Times of Israel.
The Iranian regime has not released any official updates on the leader’s condition.
The 83-year-old dictator experienced severe stomach pains and high fever last week, according to the New York Times, which cited four sources familiar with the situation. He was operated on for bowel obstruction at a temporary clinic set up at his house. His office called off public appearances to give him time to recover. Khamenei was treated for and survived prostate cancer in 2014.
One source told the Times that Khamenei was being supervised routinely by a team of doctors. He was in critical condition last week but has improved, the source said.
While the authoritarian’s health appears to have stabilized for the time being, members of the Iranian government have not paused diplomatic and business activities. For example, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi traveled to Uzbekistan on Friday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday. Raisi is also expected to speak before the UN General Assembly in New York City on Wednesday.
Khamenei’s medical problems come as President Biden works to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran. Washington and Tehran are reportedly inching closer to an agreement with the European Union’s mediation. The deal negotiated as of mid August could grant up to $275 billion in financial benefits to Iran during its first year in effect and $1 trillion by 2030, according to a study conducted by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.