Tehran rejects claims over Mojtaba’s alleged health issues
After months of speculation surrounding the health of Mojtaba Khamenei, his office on Friday issued a statement asserting that he is “fully healthy and actively overseeing affairs,” attempting to quell persistent rumours about his condition.
In a statement released by the office’s deputy head for international affairs, officials accused adversaries of deliberately spreading misinformation. “Enemy forces seek to provoke reactions from us by spreading rumours in order to advance their conspiracies,” the statement said. The clarification comes amid heightened tensions following remarks by Donald Trump and his administration, which had repeatedly questioned whether Khamenei was alive.
Speaking to NBC News in March, Trump said he was uncertain about Khamenei’s status, noting that “nobody’s been able to show him.” In later comments, he suggested the leader was alive but “damaged.” Echoing those claims, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated during a press conference that Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured,” further intensifying speculation. The rumours first emerged after Khamenei disappeared from public view following joint Israeli and US strikes that reportedly killed his father, Ali Khamenei, along with several family members.
Iranian officials initially acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured but offered no detailed updates, fuelling uncertainty.
Additional reports suggesting that President Masoud Pezeshkian had been denied access to Khamenei further deepened speculation about internal divisions, particularly involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Amid these developments, Khamenei issued a written statement a day prior to Friday’s clarification, directly responding to U.S. pressure. In it, he reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to its strategic capabilities. “Ninety million proud and honourable Iranians... regard all of Iran’s identity-based, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial and technological capacities—from nanotechnology and biotechnology to nuclear and missile capabilities—as national assets,” he wrote.
“They will protect them just as they protect the country’s waters, land and airspace.” The latest statement from his office appears aimed at restoring confidence domestically and countering narratives emerging from abroad, as questions over leadership stability and geopolitical tensions continue to mount.
