Khomeini, 89, Has Surgery to Stop Digestive System Bleeding

NICOSIA, Cyprus —  Iranian revolutionary patriarch Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini underwent surgery today to stop internal bleeding in his digestive system, Tehran radio reported.

The radio broadcast a statement from Khomeini’s office saying the 89-year-old Iranian leader was in satisfactory condition after the operation and that progress reports about his health would follow.

There have been persistent reports that Khomeini has been in poor health. He has been reported to be in frail condition since suffering a heart attack in 1986.

In Paris, Ayatollah Mehdi Rouhani, spiritual leader of the European Shiite community, called the Associated Press to say he had information that Khomeini had “lost a great deal of blood” and was in “precarious” condition.

He would not identify his sources or provide details.