TEHRAN — President Masoud Pezeshkian has held a detailed meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, as he begins his third year in office.
During the discussions, they addressed people’s livelihood needs, the conditions and prospects of the US-Israeli aggression, military developments, and ways to secure resources and manage rial, foreign currency and energy expenditures, as well as economic engagement with foreign countries.
The meeting follows the March 8 decision by the Assembly of Experts to elect Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the Leader of the Islamic Republic. The Assembly is an 88-member constitutionally mandated clerical body elected by popular vote to select and oversee the Leader.
The election followed the martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on the opening day of the joint US-Israeli war, which began on February 28.
President Pezeshkian, who initially met the new Leader in early May after his election, characterized the two-and-a-half-hour meeting as having taken place in a warm, collaborative, and constructive atmosphere. Reflecting on the encounter, the president emphasized the Leader’s ethical, managerial, and personal qualities, noting that his respectful and open approach established a solid foundation of mutual trust, empathy, and direct dialogue.
In a televised address this week marking the second anniversary of his inauguration, President Pezeshkian reiterated his impressions of the May meeting, describing Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as a highly patient and reasonable leader. “I spoke openly about all current issues so he could fully grasp the situation, and he responded with exceptional kindness, understanding, and respect,” he said.
President Pezeshkian was sworn into office at the Iranian Parliament on July 30, 2024, following an election triggered by the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi. His first two years in office have been defined by two major military conflicts launched against Iran by Israel and the United States since mid-2025.
In June 2025, Israel initiated a war against Iran, which was subsequently joined by the United States targeting Iranian nuclear installations. The 12-day conflict saw airstrikes hit both military assets and civilian residential infrastructure. Iran’s decisive military responses, targeting Israeli facilities and a strategic US airbase in Qatar, ultimately compelled Washington and Tel Aviv to halt their operations.
This conflict was repeated on February 28 of this year, when the US and Israel launched a 39-day war that resulted in civilian casualties, including the martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran on the first day. The opening day of the conflict also saw 168 individuals, primarily schoolchildren, killed by a US Tomahawk cruise missile strike in the southern city of Minab. Iran’s subsequent retaliatory strikes against regional targets forced US President Donald Trump to announce a unilateral ceasefire on April 8. While a memorandum of understanding was signed between Trump and Pezeshkian in June, US strikes against Iranian civilian infrastructure continued.
While US and Israeli media outlets have acknowledged that Iran emerged as the strategic victor of these operations, Washington and Tel Aviv have launched media campaigns alleging internal divisions within Tehran’s political and military command. President Pezeshkian has strongly dismissed these assertions, reaffirming that his administration remains completely aligned with the country’s military leadership.
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