Iran‘s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that communication with the country’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was very “difficult at the moment”.

Khamenei, who was wounded in the US-Israeli strike that launched the Middle East war, has not appeared in public since succeeding his father, who was killed in the same attack.

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“It is very difficult to communicate with him at the moment, but in any case, his presence is a very great source of strength for us so that we can continue,” Pezeshkian said.

The younger Khamenei has communicated through written statements but his low profile at a time when Iran is in conflict with the United States has led to speculation about his relations with other top officials.

He notably did not appear at his father’s funeral ceremonies last month.

Pezeshkian defended his leader, however, insisting he had been able to hold productive meetings with him and been met with “kindness and very sound logic”.

“Unfortunately, the current situation allows some malicious people to describe him differently and to present a different image of him,” he said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)