Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke to students in person Saturday after being out of the public eye for nearly two weeks.
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Khamenei, 83, who normally speaks while sitting down, gave a seven-minute speech at the Imam Khomeini Hosseinieh, or congregation hall, in the capital of Tehran while standing.
Khamenei called the pilgrimage of some 2 million Iranians to the Iraqi city of Karbala for the Arbaeen religious observance a "miraculous move," his website reported. Arbaeen comes 40 days after Ashura, the anniversary of Imam Hussein's 7th-century death at the hands of Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala during the tumultuous first century of Islam's history.
On Friday, US media reported that Khamenei canceled all public appearances and was on bed rest, under the supervision of a team of doctors.
One of the sources said the Iranian ayatollah underwent surgery at a clinic set up in his home and office complex and is currently being monitored around the clock by doctors, adding that his condition was critical last week but has since improved.
Khamenei reportedly had surgery sometime last week for bowel obstruction after suffering extreme stomach pains and high fever.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
