Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiReuters

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underwent prostate surgery on Monday and was recovering at a government hospital in Tehran, The Associated Press (AP) reported, citing Iranian state media.

The 75-year-old Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters and has been Iran's top leader since 1989, was reported to be in "good condition" and his doctors said he was resting after the surgery.

President Hassan Rouhani visited the supreme leader in hospital after the procedure and later released a statement saying that Khamenei's condition is "very good and hence, the people should not be worried."

Rouhani said he had offered to cancel his attendance at a regional summit in Tajikistan but that Khamenei had convinced him to proceed with the planned trip. Rouhani left later in the day on a five-day trip there and to Kazakhstan, according to AP.

The official IRNA news agency described the operation as "routine" and said it was successful, without giving details on what had prompted it or the underlying medical condition.

Head of Khamenei's medical team, Dr. Ali Reza Marandi, told state TV that the procedure took less than half an hour and was performed under local anesthesia. He said Khamenei will need three to four days of rest.

Khamenei came to power in 1989, following the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, who assumed power in the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

He has been a fierce critic of Israel, inciting to violence against the Jewish state. In a speech in 2012, Khamenei called Israelis “ferocious Zionist wolves who digest the Palestinian people.”

In another incident, he expressed hope that Israel would be wiped off the map and that the “Palestinians” will eventually retake control of their motherland.

In July, the Iranian leader accused Israel's leaders of committing "genocide" in Gaza and called on the Islamic world to arm Palestinians fighting "the Zionist regime."

Details of Khamenei’s health are normally kept under wraps in Iran. Last year there were reports that he had been out of public sight for three weeks, amid speculations of his declining health.