Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes first public appearance since Iran-Israel war

The supreme leader attended an Ashura event

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashura.

Mr Khamenei was seen in a video broadcasted by state media greeting people and being cheered at in a mosque as worshippers marked the annual Shiite anniversary that marks the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Mr Khamenei, 86, was dressed in black as the crowd chanted “The blood in our veins for our leader!".

Lebanon's Shiite Muslims mark Ashura amid calls for Hezbollah to disarm and security threats

Read More

There were no reports on any public statements made. Iranian officials, such as the parliament speaker, were present. Such events are always held under heavy security.

Mr Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989, was seen speaking last week in a pre-recorded video, but had not been seen in public since before Israel began its war on Iran with a wave of surprise air strikes on June 13.

His last public appearance was two days before that, when he met members of parliament.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a mourning ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, in Tehran, Iran. AP

Israel made the decision to attack Iran, after years of hostility and tension with Tehran, with the aim of preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has always said it was developing its programme for peaceful purposes.

The US also intervened into the war by bombing three key Iranian nuclear sites.

US President Donald Trump sent warnings through social media to Mr Khamenei that Washington is aware of where he was but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now”.

At least 900 people have been killed in the war with Israel, Iran has said, including its top nuclear scientists and military leaders, as well as thousands injured.

The country also confirmed serious damage to its nuclear sites, and has denied access to the sites for inspectors with the UN nuclear watchdog.

However, it remains unclear just how badly damaged the nuclear sites are, whether any enriched uranium or centrifuges had been moved before the attacks, and whether Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the US over its nuclear programme.

In response to the Israeli attacks, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, killing 28 people and causing damage in many areas.