Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly questioned if he met Mojtaba Khamenei after secret meeting in dark car

Published 5 August 2026 · politics

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was taken to a secret location in Tehran and allowed only a brief meeting in a dark, tinted-window vehicle with a

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was taken to a secret location in Tehran and allowed only a brief meeting in a dark, tinted-window vehicle with a man presented as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to a report by Iran International citing sources familiar with the episode. The report claims Pezeshkian was unable to see the man sitting beside him and later questioned whether the voice he heard actually belonged to Khamenei. The alleged encounter differs significantly from the president's public account, in which he said he had spent two and a half hours with the country's new leader in a "cordial atmosphere." Secret meeting allegedly arranged after resignation threat According to Iran International, the meeting was approved only after Pezeshkian repeatedly requested an audience with Khamenei and threatened to resign.

Rather than being received at the supreme leader's official residence, the president was reportedly taken by his security team to an undisclosed location in Tehran. The report says Pezeshkian was removed from his vehicle and placed inside the back of a commercial car with heavily tinted windows. The interior was reportedly kept dark, preventing either man from seeing the other, while Khamenei's security personnel allegedly did not allow a handshake. The conversation took place entirely by voice and lasted only a few minutes before the president was asked to leave. According to sources cited by the outlet, Pezeshkian later asked aides whether he had actually met the supreme leader or merely spoken to someone claiming to be him.

The report adds that Pezeshkian has since sought a second meeting at Khamenei's official residence, but the request has reportedly been rejected. Questions persist over Mojtaba Khamenei's public absence Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly in the roughly five months since he was selected to succeed his father. No verified audio or video recording of the new supreme leader has been released during that period. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a conflicting statement reportedly said in July that only a limited number of people had met Mojtaba Khamenei, while Pezeshkian later claimed meetings with the leader had become more frequent.

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