Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei ‘gravely ill,’ underwent surgery – report

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has fallen “gravely ill” with his situation considered to be critical last week, The New York Times reported on Friday evening.

However, he has since improved and is resting after undergoing surgery, the report added.

He was suffering from extreme stomach pains and high fever and is under the supervision of doctors, NYT said, citing four people close to the 83-year-old dictator.

Khameini’s office reportedly canceled all of his meetings scheduled for last week as his health deteriorated.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting via video conference with people from East Azarbaijan in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2022. (credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

Khamenei ill as Iran nuclear talks falter

The report of the Iranian leader’s worsening situation comes as the Islamic Republic’s hopes to finalize the revival of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) were all but dashed by the United States and Western powers due to the distance between the two parties during negotiations.

Last week, France, Germany and the UK criticized Iran’s conduct in the talks, saying Iran “continues to escalate its nuclear program way beyond any plausible civilian justification.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said that the statement was “not constructive,” accusing Europe of “taking a step in the direction of Israel, which wants the nuclear talks to fail.”