Iran's Supreme Leader makes first public appearance since the start of Israel-Iran war

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made his first public appearance since the start of the12-day war between Israel and Iran. 

State TV in Iran showed Khamenei waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran. There was no immediate report on any public statement made.

His absence during the war suggested the Iranian leader, who has final say on all state matters, was under heavy security. The 86-year-old is believed to have spent the war in a bunker as threats to his life escalated.

After the United States inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to Khamenei that the US knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now.”

On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei spoke publicly for the first time in days, saying in a pre-recorded statement that Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a US air base in Qatar, and warning against further attacks by the US or Israel on Iran.