News

Several Iranian websites have posted an interview with the wife of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in which she discusses, among other things, her life with Khamenei, whom she portrays as a caring husband, and talks about her favorite form of Islamic hijab.

The  wives of most Iranian politicians are almost invisible on Iran’s political scene. Iranian leaders seem to believe that a good and honorable wife is someone who stays away as much as possible from the public sphere.

Khamenei’s wife appears to be the most invisible.

There is no picture of her and no one seems to know anything about her. Her last name is reportedly Khojaste; her first name remains a mystery and so does her face.
It has been reported that she was hospitalized some time ago for several days without anyone knowing that she was the wife of the man who has the last say in religious and political affairs in the Islamic Republic. Hospital officials found out who she was only after Khamenei decided to visit her.

So the rare interview -- perhaps the only one of its kind -- has garnered lots of attention.