Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains on bed rest under observation by a team of doctors after he fell gravely ill last week, The New York Times reported.
Khamenei, 83, had surgery for bowel obstruction after suffering extreme stomach pains and high fever, a source told the Times.
All meetings and public appearances for the supreme leader then were canceled.
The ayatollah's condition was considered critical last week, but has improved, the Times reported.
The Times said its report was based on four sources, two of whom are based in Iran, including one who has close ties with the country's Revolutionary Guards.
Khamenei underwent the surgery at a clinic set up at his home and office complex, and currently is being monitored around the clock by a team of doctors, the Times reported.
The Tasnim News Agency, which has strong links to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, posted a brief item Friday saying Khamenei will attend a religious ceremony with university students on Saturday, the Times reported.
Given Khamenei's health, it wasn't clear if the appearance would take place.
Among the meetings canceled last week by Khamenei's office was an important Sept. 6 gathering with the Assembly of Experts — the body that will decide his replacement once he dies.
Sources said Khamenei was unable to sit up for the annual meeting.
Hashem Hashemzadeh Harissi, an Assembly of Experts member, told an Iranian newspaper that "in this round, unlike previous rounds, the members of the Assembly of Experts did not meet with the supreme leader" because it would "be a heavy burden on him."
About two weeks ago, Khamenei traveled to the religious city of Mashhad and visited the Imam Reza shrine. Times sources said the supreme leader told people traveling with him that he felt it might be his last time at the shrine, given his age.
The Times said Iran usually does not comment publicly on Khamenei's health, though after he underwent prostate surgery in 2014 his recovery was covered widely in the official media.
The newspaper reported that Iran's United Nations mission in New York said it could not immediately comment without getting approval from Tehran.
As supreme leader, Khamenei would be the final arbiter on issues such as a new nuclear deal. He assumed the position of the country's top religious, political, and military authority in 1989.
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