Iran’s Supreme Leader Appears in Public After Reports He Was Critically Ill

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei made a public appearance at a religious event over the weekend following reports that he had was critically ill. Khamenei, 83, participated on Saturday in a Shiite ceremony called Arbaeen. The New York Times had reported Friday, citing four unnamed sources, that Khamenei had surgery last week for bowel obstruction after it also reported that he was too weak to sit up and cancelled all public meetings and that his condition was considered critical.

Iran does not comment publicly on Khamenei’s health. Still, in 2014, he underwent prostate surgery, and his recovery was widely covered in the official media.

Raisi is scheduled to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where he is scheduled to speak on Wednesday.