--- title: "Iranian president calls contact with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'very difficult'" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/iranian-president-calls-contact-with-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-very-diffic" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/iranian-president-calls-contact-with-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-very-diffic" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/iranian-president-calls-contact-with-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-very-diffic.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/iranian-president-calls-contact-with-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-very-diffic" category: "Politics" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-08-05T20:46:58.534Z" source_reported: "2026-08-05T20:05:55.988Z" updated: "2026-08-05T20:46:58.534Z" trust_score: 54 critic_score: 77 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-05T20:30:22.666700+00:00" --- # Iranian president calls contact with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'very difficult' *Masoud Pezeshkian’s televised remarks come as Mojtaba Khamenei remains unseen since succeeding his father in March 2026* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 54 of 100, higher is better. Trust 54: multiple outlets report Pezeshkian's statement and name him, but no documents or detailed dates are provided. - Craft 77 of 100, higher is better. Critic 77: offers context, specific names and places, and a clear, coherent narrative without speculation. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: language is measured; no clickbait or exaggerated claims appear. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Masoud Pezeshkian said on Iranian state television that contact with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is 'very difficult'. - Mojtaba Khamenei has not made any public appearances since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in March 2026. - The remarks follow reports that Mojtaba Khamenei warned Pezeshkian against resubmitting his resignation. - No left-rated outlet carried the story, according to the reports below. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on 5 August 2026 that communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is currently 'very difficult'. The remarks were broadcast on state television. Pezeshkian did not explain what made the contact difficult. Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the latter was killed in US and Israeli strikes in early 2026. He has not appeared in public since taking office. Iranian state media have not released audio of him, citing concerns about revealing his location or condition. Pezeshkian’s comments came after a reported phone call with Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’s political bureau. Iranian state media said Pezeshkian told al-Hayya that Tehran would support any decision Palestinian leaders made in indirect negotiations with Israel. ## What the reports disagree on The date of the US and Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is given as February 2026 by BT and as early 2026 by the Jerusalem Post. The reports do not agree on whether the strikes occurred in February or earlier in the year. ## What the coverage left out No left-rated outlet ran the story, according to the reports printed below. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the reported phone call between Pezeshkian and Hamas’s Khalil al-Hayya. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 25% (2) - Right: 75% (6) 4 of 12 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-05T20:30:22.666700+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-05T21:30:16.761Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The two centre-rated digests led on Pezeshkian’s statement that communication with Mojtaba Khamenei is 'very difficult'. France24’s digest noted that Khamenei has not appeared in public since his appointment. The Jerusalem Post’s full report added that Pezeshkian’s remarks followed a phone call with Hamas’s Khalil al-Hayya and that Mojtaba Khamenei had warned Pezeshkian against resubmitting his resignation. - The Jerusalem Post quoted Pezeshkian directly: 'very difficult'. It also reported that Iranian state media had avoided releasing audio of Mojtaba Khamenei, citing fears of revealing his location and condition. The report listed five methods by which a recording could expose his whereabouts. ### Right - All six right-rated digests led on Pezeshkian’s statement that communication with Mojtaba Khamenei is 'very difficult' or 'hard'. Globo’s digest added that Pezeshkian called Khamenei’s presence 'an important source of strength'. BT’s digest noted that Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since a US-Israeli attack in February 2026. - None of the right-rated digests mentioned the reported warning Mojtaba Khamenei sent to Pezeshkian about resubmitting his resignation. None carried the detail that Iranian state media had avoided releasing audio of the supreme leader. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 5 - unknown: 4 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Protothema](https://protothema.gr/world/article/1861288/o-pezeskian-paradehetai-oti-i-epikoinonia-me-ton-motztaba-hamenei-einai-tora-polu-duskoli) — Pezheskian Admits that Communication with Mojtaba Khamenei Is "Now Very Difficult" - [Globo](https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2026/08/05/presidente-do-ira-diz-que-comunicacao-com-o-novo-lider-supremo-esta-muito-dificil.ghtml) — President of Iran Says Communication with the New Leader Is 'Hard' - [BT](https://bt.dk/udland/praesident-meget-svaert-at-kommunikere-med-irans-oeverste-leder) — President: Very Difficult to Communicate with Iran's Supreme Leader - [France24](https://france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20260805-iran-communication-avec-mojtaba-khamenei-tr%C3%A8s-difficile-en-ce-moment-d%C3%A9clare-pezeshkian) — Iran: Communication with Mojtaba Khamenei Is "Very Difficult at the Moment," Says Pezeshkian - [Aftenposten](https://aftenposten.no/verden/i/ExB69K/irans-president-om-kommunikasjonen-med-mojtaba-khamenei-veldig-vanskelig-akkurat-naa) — Iran's President to Discuss Communications with Mojtaba Khamenei: - Valid Vanskelig Akkurat Na - [ouest-france.fr](https://ouest-france.fr/monde/iran/le-president-iranien-dit-que-linteraction-avec-le-guide-supreme-mojtaba-khamenei-est-tres-difficile-0f546e7e-9103-11f1-9add-57c399f24235) — Iranian President Says Interaction with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Is "Very Difficult" - [연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency](https://yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260806005200079) — Iranian President: "Currently Very Difficult to Communicate with the Supreme Leader" - [Naftemporiki](https://naftemporiki.gr/kosmos/2147327/pezeskian-i-epikoinonia-me-ton-motztampa-chamenei-einai-poly-dyskoli) — Pezheskian: Communication with Mojtaba Khamenei Is "Very Difficult" - [Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-904704) — Iran's president says interaction with supreme leader is currently 'very difficult' - [Daily Sabah](https://dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/contact-with-irans-supreme-leader-very-difficult-pezeshkian) — Contact with Iran's supreme leader 'very difficult': Pezeshkian - [Crypto Briefing](https://cryptobriefing.com/iran-president-says-communication-with-supreme-leader-very-difficult) — Iran president says communication with supreme leader 'very difficult' - [Hospodárske Noviny](https://hnonline.sk/svet/96295531-komunikacia-s-najvyssim-lidrom-je-teraz-velmi-tazka-uviedol-iransky-prezident-od-zvolenia-sa-neukazal) — Communication with the Supreme Leader Is Now Very Difficult, the Iranian President Said. He Has Not Been Seen Since His Election ## Questions **Why has Mojtaba Khamenei not appeared in public?** Mojtaba Khamenei has not made any public appearances since succeeding his father as Iran’s supreme leader in March 2026. Iranian state media have not released audio of him, citing concerns about revealing his location or condition. **What did Pezeshkian say about communication with Khamenei?** Masoud Pezeshkian said on Iranian state television that communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is currently 'very difficult'. He did not explain what made the contact difficult. **Which outlets reported the story?** The story was carried by two centre-rated outlets and six right-rated outlets, according to the reports below. No left-rated outlet ran the story. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/iranian-president-calls-contact-with-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-very-diffic. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Iranian president calls contact with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'very difficult'", https://mediabias.news/politics/iranian-president-calls-contact-with-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-very-diffic