MS NOW’s Mohyeldin Lets Iranian Stooge Evade on New Leader Despite Prior False Claim

On Saturday’s The Weekend: Primetime, MS NOW aired an interview host Ayman Mohyeldin had scored with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Mohyeldin asked about the condition of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said the new leader is “wounded and likely disfigured.”

But when Araghchi — chuckling [see screencap] — refused to give a straight answer, Mohyeldin failed to press him — despite the foreign minister having recently made a demonstrably false claim about the previous supreme leader.

In the immediate aftermath of the strike that killed the previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — a death Iran itself later acknowledged — Araghchi publicly insisted that Khamenei was alive, adding the hedge “as far as I know.” Technically, the caveat gave the foreign minister a sliver of deniability. But the notion that Iran’s foreign minister might not know whether the most powerful figure in the regime was alive strains credulity.

Mohyeldin began by adopting the regime’s preferred terminology, saying Mojtaba Khamenei had been “elected” supreme leader. In reality, the Iranian people do not vote for the position; the choice is made by regime insiders in the Assembly of Experts. Mohyeldin also claimed that Mojtaba had “issued a statement yesterday.” In reality, the statement was issued in his name, which is not the same thing.

The host then asked Araghchi about Hegseth’s statement regarding the new leader’s condition.

Instead of directly addressing the question, Araghchi launched into a series of evasions. At one point he said the new leader “will perform his duties,” before quickly correcting himself to say he is performing his duties.

Araghchi also offered this revealing formulation:

ABBAS ARAGHCHI: I think by now it should have been clear and it should have been known for everybody that our system is very well rooted in the society.

The Islamic Republic is a system which is not dependent on any individual or any group of people.

Rather than clearly stating that the new supreme leader is healthy and unharmed, Araghchi pivoted to the durability of the regime itself — effectively suggesting that the system would continue regardless of any individual leader’s condition.

He later added another curious hedge:

ARAGHCHI: They will see soon, I guess, that there is no problem with the new Supreme Leader.

For a foreign minister supposedly aware of the leader’s status, I guess is strikingly shaky language.

Mohyeldin nevertheless allowed Araghchi’s evasions to stand without challenge.

Despite Araghchi’s recent false claim about the previous supreme leader, Mohyeldin never pressed him to give a direct answer about the condition of Iran’s new one.

Here's the transcript.

MS NOW
The Weekend: Primetime
3/14/26
7:19 am EDT

MOHYELDIN: We know that Iran has elected a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. He has not been seen yet in public, though he did issue a statement yesterday. 

I'm sure you have heard the comments from the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who has said that, he claimed, the supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. 

What is the status of the supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei? 

ABBAS ARAGHCHI: Well [chuckles], they have made so many claims like this. Yesterday, they said that all Iranian authorities are in the bunkers, but at the same time, the whole world saw our president, speaker of parliament, everybody, the secretary our National Security Council, everybody was in the street among the people who demonstrated. 

So there are lots of accusations like that. They will see soon, I guess, that there is no problem with the new Supreme Leader. 

He sent his message yesterday and he will perform his duties. He is performing his duties according to the Constitution, and he will continue to do that. 

I think by now it should have been clear and it should have been known for everybody that our system is very well rooted in the society. 

The Islamic Republic is a system which is not dependent on any individual or any group of people. It is well established. It's a very well established political structure. 

And the deepest state is doing its functions, it's functioning. And everything is in place. So they shouldn't have any hope for anything to happen to the individuals. 

The system is working. It worked properly after the assassination and martyrdom of our supreme leader. You saw that nothing happened, and everything remained in order, and still everything is under control.