2 hours ago
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has thanked the Iraqi people and the country’s religious leadership for backing Tehran “in the face of aggression,” according to Iranian state media, in a message that has intensified intrigue over his condition and whereabouts.
The expression of gratitude, reported on Sunday, comes just days after US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader was either dead or in critical condition following recent US military operations.
Trump had asserted that Iran’s military leadership and defence structure had been “completely destroyed,” adding that Mojtaba Khamenei’s prolonged silence suggested he might no longer be alive.
“Their leaders are dead. Their supreme leader is no longer supreme. He’s dead. His son is either dead or in very bad shape, because nobody’s heard from him. I think he says, ‘Just keep me out of this,’” the US President said earlier.
However, Tehran has offered no direct visual proof of his condition, and the latest message to Iraq did not clarify how it was conveyed.
Mojtaba, who assumed the role of supreme leader on March 9 after the death of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike, has not made a single public appearance since his appointment. All statements attributed to him so far including his first address on March 12 and his Nowruz message on March 20 have been issued in written form and read by state television presenters.
His continued absence has fuelled intense speculation in diplomatic and intelligence circles over who is effectively steering decision-making in Tehran as the war in West Asia deepens. Reports suggest the matter has also featured in President Trump’s intelligence briefings, with US officials still assessing the chain of command inside Iran.
The mystery surrounding Mojtaba’s whereabouts has only grown amid the steady elimination of senior Iranian officials in Israeli strikes, leaving questions over whether the new supreme leader is in hiding, severely injured, or deliberately avoiding public exposure for security reasons.
- Ends
Published By:
Zafar Zaidi
Published On:
Mar 30, 2026 03:00 IST
Tune In
