Iranian revolutionary patriarch Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini underwent surgery Tuesday to stop internal bleeding in his digestive system, Tehran radio reported.
The radio broadcast a statement from Khomeini's office saying the 88-year-old Iranian leader was in satisfactory condition following the operation and that progress reports about his health would follow.There have been persistent reports that Khomeini has been in poor health and has undergone heart surgery. He has been reported to be in frail condition since suffering a heart attack in 1986.
The statement from his office said:
"We inform the public that with the grace of God, and the attention of the hidden Imam, the operation on Imam Khomeini, which was undertaken Tuesday morning to stop bleeding in his digestive system, was successfully completed, and praise the Lord, his condition is completely satisfactory."
Khomeini was last shown speaking on television during an audience with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnaze in February.
He seems fragile and slow moving in his frequent appearances on television, attending prayer audiences at the Jamaran mosque near his north Tehran home.
He lifts himself out of his chair after the meetings but does not speak.
There have been scores of stories since the reported heart attack that he was dead or dying, with unconfirmed reports saying he has cancer of the prostate.
Aside from the audiences, Khomeini does not circulate in public outside his home.