Reports Claim Iran's Khamenei in Critical Health Condition
Israeli and Iranian sources cite unconfirmed reports that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been hospitalised, months after the strike that killed his father
Synopsis
Israeli and Iranian media outlets have reported citing unnamed sources that Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei is in critical health condition and under hospitalisation. The claims, which Iranian authorities have yet to verify after he has not appeared in public for days since taking charge following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in February 2026 during a long series of demonstrations. Reports are unverifiable by independent or official sources.
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Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in an “extremely critical” condition and may soon die, a Channel 14 source inside Iran reported. The claims were echoed by the Jerusalem Post, which quoted a source “close to President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration” and Iranian outlet IranWire.
Multiple reports, including from India's ANI news agency, said one source told the Jerusalem Post that they would not be surprised to hear news of his martyrdom soon.
AdvertisementIranWire also cited two members of the Pezeshkian staff as saying Khamenei has not been meeting with any cabinet members since the strike on his father on Feb. 28, which killed Khamenei's father and several other members of the family.
The absence of the public has been a month-long process
The transition was overseen by an interim leadership council and Mojtaba Khamenei took the place of Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026.
He has not been in public sight since then and he has not made a recorded speech; only a few letters from his own hand have been published by official Iranian news agencies, and thus speculation (theories without evidence) has abounded about his condition and whereabouts.
President Pezeshkian has made it obvious that the situation is atypical, saying on state TV that "direct interaction with the Supreme Leader is now 'very difficult'". In July, Al-Hadath reported that Khamenei was "not in Iran" due to a "scandalous" military campaign, citing an anonymous Israeli security official, and in a Fox News interview, Trump claimed that Khamenei had been "90 per cent gone" and incapacitated after the military campaign.
AdvertisementA file containing the year 1921.February Strikes and Succession: A file containing the year 1921.
The latest rumours are based on the February 28, 2026 strikes by Israel and the U.S. that allegedly resulted in the deaths of Ali Khamenei and his daughter, daughter in law, grandchild and son in law, according to Wikipedia's chronology of the incident and contemporary reports.
At the time it was reported that Mojtaba had been wounded and probably disfigured by the same assaults that struck his father's compound — as a result, he has spent his time in hiding, using intermediaries to communicate with the regime authorities.
In the past, the Iranian government has discredited accusations of incapacitation
In the past, Iranian state officials have denied rumours that Mojtaba is incapacitated, and his lack of public appearances continues to fuel speculation about his condition. Tehran has not made any official statement about his hospitalization as of this report and there is no independent verification of his current health status.
