Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's health has deteriorated to the point that he has had to cancel a series of recent engagements, including a routine cabinet meeting, according to Iranian news websites.
The reports were unclear regarding the particular illness Ahmadinejad is suffering from, but some of the sources cited indicated the Iranian leader is dealing with a serious health condition.
When questioned by journalists, a top aid to Ahmadinejad simply said that he was "indisposed."
Sources linked to the regime later suggested that opposition elements were spreading rumors about Ahmadinejad's health to influence next year's presidential election in their favor. They did not, however, explain why Ahmadinejad had missed so many recent engagements.