Fact Check: Did Iran confirm news of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khomenei's death?
TEHRAN, IRAN: After being severely injured in an airstrike by the United States, a claim has been circulating on social media platforms that Iran has confirmed the death of its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, days after the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking speculations. Let us fact-check the authenticity of the viral claim.
Claim: Iran confirmed the death of Mojtaba Khamenei
Days after the airstrike that reportedly pushed Motaba Khamenei into a coma and even lost a leg, a rumor surfaced on X that the Islamic Republic has confirmed the death of its new supreme leader.
The post on X was accompanied by a caption stating, “Finally, Iran officially announced that its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is dead. In the end, America won the Iran war. Comment: Make America Great Again.”
The post has garnered two million views and thousands of likes, with different variations of the claim spreading on other social media platforms.
Fact Check: False, Iran never made such an announcement
However, the claim is false as Iran has never confirmed the death of its leader. Although reports suggest that the new Khomenei is in a coma and has lost a leg, there is no evidence to prove the claim.
There are also no confirmations from the White House or any official social media handles of the Trump administration.
The X page that tweeted the claim mentions in its bio, “Not official Commentary Page.” Though explicitly not a parody page, the page routinely posts misleading clickbait content.
A search on Google for relevant keywords produced no reports by credible news media outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered.
Donald Trump thinks Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he thinks Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader is still alive, though perhaps barely.
Speaking on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio, the US president said he believes the 56-year-old leader survived the strike that reportedly killed his father, Ali Khamenei, but may have been badly hurt in the process.
“I think he probably is,” Trump said when asked whether Mojtaba Khamenei is alive. “I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know."
The elder Khamenei was reportedly killed in US-Israeli strikes earlier this year, clearing the way for his son to assume leadership of the Islamic Republic. But the younger Khamenei has not been seen in public since the conflict began.
