- August 4, 2026
Tinted Car, Dark Room, No Handshake: Inside Iran President’s Secret Meeting With Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
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Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian’s only meeting with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei lasted minutes in complete darkness without a handshake.
Mojtaba Khamenei Still Missing From Public Eye After Operation Epic Fury. (Photo Credit: X)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was reportedly taken to a secret location in Tehran, driven in the back of a tinted-window vehicle and granted only a brief meeting in darkness with a man he could not see, according to a report by Iran International.
The report claims that after the meeting, Pezeshkian questioned whether the voice he heard had really belonged to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The account differs sharply from the version the Iranian president has publicly presented.
What we know about the meeting?
According to Iran International, Pezeshkian had earlier told a gathering of trade association representatives in mid-May that he spent two and a half hours with the new supreme leader “in a cordial atmosphere.”
However, sources cited by the outlet claimed the meeting lasted only a few minutes before the president was asked to leave.
The report said the meeting was approved only after Pezeshkian repeatedly requested it and threatened to resign. Instead of being received at the supreme leader’s official residence, he was reportedly informed that the meeting would take place at an undisclosed location elsewhere in Tehran.
According to the report, Pezeshkian’s security team dropped him at the secret location, where he was taken from his vehicle and seated in the back of a commercial car with tinted windows.
The report said Mojtaba Khamenei was already inside the vehicle. The area was reportedly so dark that neither man could see the other, while guards did not allow them to shake hands. The conversation was conducted entirely through voice.
The treatment reportedly left Pezeshkian angry and humiliated. According to people in the president’s office cited by the outlet, he later asked whether the person sitting beside him had actually been the supreme leader because he had only heard a voice in the dark.
The report said it remains unclear whether the remark reflected genuine doubt or frustration over the circumstances of the meeting.
It also claimed that Pezeshkian later requested a second meeting at the supreme leader’s official residence, but the request has so far been refused.
Khamenei’s public absence
According to the report, no audio recording or video of Mojtaba Khamenei has been released during the nearly five months since he became the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.
The report said Hamshahri newspaper’s website recently published a video claiming foreign intelligence agencies could trace any audio recording of the leader by analysing acoustic energy, electrical grid frequency signatures and background noise. It also claimed intelligence agencies could study vocal characteristics to assess injuries or anxiety.
The report said the video added to speculation rather than reducing it.
It also highlighted differing international assessments. US President Donald Trump recently said he believed there was a 90 per cent chance Mojtaba Khamenei had been killed, while Israel has maintained that he is alive.
The report also pointed to differing statements from Iranian officials. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a July interview that only a limited number of people had met Mojtaba Khamenei. A day later, Pezeshkian reportedly said the number of meetings with the leader had increased.
About the Author
Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior Sub‑Editor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen…Read More
August 04, 2026, 21:45 IST
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