This by no means guarantees the Leader's good health, however. The fact that the regime waited so long to rebut the pervasive rumors remains puzzling, and is perhaps an indication that Khamenei may have indeed been rushed to his personal physicians. (There has been talk that Khamenei is suffering from cancer for several years now.) Nonetheless, if the photos are in fact from today and are not photoshopped (which the IRI has a long and amusing history of doing), they eliminate any immediate possibility of a power-grab by the Ahmadinejad coup.
In the short-term, all focus surely goes back to Rafsanjani's maneuvering to produce a final version of the National Unity Plan. Whether that will happen before or after November 4th (the anniversary of the taking of the U.S. embassy and the next planned massive public protest) remains to be seen.
(h/t Enduring America)
