Iran’s Supreme Leader Cancels Public Appearances After Falling Ill

By Farnaz Fassihi

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei canceled all meetings and public appearances last week following a serious illness and is currently in bed under the care of a team of doctors, according to four people familiar with his condition.

Ayatollah Khamenei, 83, underwent surgery for an intestinal obstruction sometime last week after suffering from extreme stomach pains and a high fever, one of the people said. The four people, two of whom are based in Iran, including one with close ties to the country's Revolutionary Guards, requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue such as Ayatollah Khamenei's health.

Ayatollah Khamenei underwent surgery at a clinic set up in his home and office complex and is being monitored around the clock by a team of doctors, a person familiar with the operation said. Ayatollah Khamenei's condition was considered critical last week, but he has improved and is currently resting. His doctors are still concerned that he is too weak to even sit up in bed.

one of the sources said that Iran's ayatollah underwent surgery at a clinic set up in his home and office complex and is currently under round-the-clock monitoring by doctors, adding that his condition was critical last week but has since improved.

As the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei wields extensive authority in Iran and is the final arbiter on issues such as the nuclear deal negotiated between Tehran and world powers.

A former president of Iran, a protégé of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and founder of the revolution that led to the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, Khamenei assumed the position of the country's highest religious, political and military authority in 1989. .