NEW DELHI, July 18. /TASS/. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will not appear in public until the war with the United States and Israel is over and the security situation improves, an Iranian source told TASS.

"His Excellency will not make any public appearances in the near future for security reasons. The government is waiting for the situation to normalize. After that, he will appear in public," the source said.

The source added that Mojtaba Khamenei’s first contact with a foreign leader could be a phone call or meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in airstrikes. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding envisaging an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Later, the United States and Iran engaged in talks in Switzerland’s Burgenstock, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. However, early on July 8, the United States resumed massive airstrikes on Iran, accusing Tehran of violating their previous agreements, in particular, regarding the Strait of Hormuz. On July 13, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Tehran had never violated the memorandum signed with the United States, and that all responsibility for its non-compliance lied with Washington.