Image Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images 
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has apparently reappeared to issue a statement warning the US about the power of his country’s navy.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since the outbreak of hostilities at the end of February, when he was seriously injured in an Israeli attack that killed his father, the former Supreme Leader, and other members of his family.
In a brief statement posted on his Telegram channel, Khamenei said Iran’s “brave navy stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.”
Last weekend, it was revealed that Khamenei is still recovering from severe disfiguring wounds.
Sources who spoke to Reuters said Khamenei’s face was disfigured and he has suffered significant damage to one or both of his legs.
The account tallies with a much earlier report by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who said on 13 March that Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured.”
He is said, nevertheless, to be making a good recovery and “remains mentally sharp.” He is currently taking part in decision-making on important issues by video link, including the negotiations with Washington.
Reuters notes that “Khamenei’s whereabouts, condition and ability to rule still largely remain a mystery to the public, with no photo, video or audio recording of him published since the air attack and his subsequent appointment as his father’s replacement on March 8.”
It was rumoured he had been taken to Moscow for emergency treatment.
As well as his father, the previous Supreme Leader, Mojtaba’s wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law were also killed in the first-day strike.
Experts say it is unlikely, given not only his wounds but also his inexperience, that he will ever wield the kind of power his father had.
“Mojtaba will be one voice but it will not be the decisive one,” an analyst told Reuters.
“He needs to prove himself as the credible, powerful, overriding voice. The regime as a whole has to make a decision in terms of where they are going to go.”
On Friday, President Trump said negotiations with Iran will continue over the weekend, and that “good news” is expected.
“We’re having a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out, but it should be good. We’ve had some very good discussions,” the President told reporters in Arizona.
“A lot of good things are happening, and that includes Lebanon, too.”
Trump was asked whether “significant differences” remain between the US and Iran.
“Well, there could be. Let’s see what happens. If there are, we’ll have to straighten it out. But I don’t think there’s too many significant differences,” he replied.
Later, aboard Air Force One, President Trump said there had been “pretty good news,” but he gave no further details.
“We had some pretty good news 20 minutes ago, but it seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran. You’ll hear about [it]. I just think it’s something that should happen. It’s something that only makes sense to happen, and I think it will. We’ll see what happens.”
The two-week ceasefire will end next week.
Military operations against Iran could continue if no deal is reached. President Trump has said he may not extend the ceasefire.
The Strait of Hormuz is now open to all commercial vessels, Iranian officials confirmed, as a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon takes effect.
Although the Strait is now open, President Trump has said the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports on the Strait will continue until an agreement with Iran is reached.
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