Iran refutes supreme leader 'Coma' reports amid social media buzz
Iran has hit back against social media claims that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is close to death or in a coma, by publishing a picture of him meeting a Lebanese official.
The photo on X, formerly Twitter, purports to show a meeting between the Iranian leader and Mojtaba Amani, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon at noon Sunday, November 17, in Tehran.
Its publication followed tweets claiming Khamenei was in a coma or dead which had erupted on November 16.
Just a day earlier, on November 15, Iran International had reported discussions by the nation's Assembly of Experts about candidates in the running to succeed him, including Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei. But the need to identify a successor resulted from the risk of assassination faced by the supreme leader, not because of ill health, according to the report.
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Islamic Republic of Iran for comment via email.
If the picture, published on Khamenei's X account, and reported timings are authentic, the eruption of tweets about his health would appear to be false, and potentially sparked by discussion of his successor.
One user, Dr. Maalouf, a geopolitical commentator, wrote on November 16: "BREAKING- The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly fallen into a coma and DIED. Good riddance! Iran will soon be free!"
The Global 202, which lists itself as a news and media account, posted on November 17: "BREAKING Dramatic reports in Iran: The 85-year-old leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, fell into a coma. His condition is critical." The account has no website listed and no article linked.
Another user, J.N. Araain, a self-described human rights crusader, wrote on November 17: "Rumors are swirling that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is in a coma. Earlier reports hinted at his grave illness, and now whispers suggest his second son, Mojtaba, might succeed him. Isn't it ironic how a theocracy, supposed to be ruled by divine will, resorts to what looks like family business? #NepotismAtItsFinest #ReligionOrDynasty."
But some X users cast doubt on the social media rumors, including Sarah Raviani, a spokesperson for the group Iranians for Trump, who wrote, "I'd love to believe Khamenei is dead, but the worst people seem to live forever. These rumors have been swirling for over a decade— he's supposedly been in a 'coma' several times over the years. Just more soap opera drama from the regime."
The New York Times had previously written about the Iranian Supreme Leader's alleged ill health in an article published on October 26, but later corrected it and wrote that there have been no recent reports indicating Khamenei is ill.
The Iranian Supreme Leader has three candidates in the running to be his successor, with his son in the lead, according to Iran International's report of the Assembly of Experts meeting which was told Khamenei is in good health and shows no sign of illness.
Jason Brodsky, a policy director at the United Against Nuclear Iran, also denounced the coma claims in a post on X and wrote: "Tweets about how #Iran's regime's supreme leader is in a coma or has even died are all over my timeline. There is not one credible news outlet which has reported as such.
"So please be careful what you post."
Mojtaba Khamenei, 55, has been reportedly involved in making behind-the-scenes governmental decisions for nearly 30 years, and former Department of State adviser on Iran, Gabriel Noronha, previously noted on X the significance of his potential appointment.
Noronha noted that reports of the younger Khamenei's possible succession followed Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi's death in May in a helicopter crash, and that "He shares his father's ideological outlook, but the decisions he makes on foreign policy, on nuclear weaponization, and how to craft a path on social and religious issues will be hugely consequential to see whether the regime survives."
Noronha also previously told Newsweek: "Mojtaba has already started taking over some of the minor duties of his father as Supreme Leader. Most importantly, he has been very close to the IRGC and the so-called revolutionary forces in the regime which pull many of the strings and seek perpetual confrontation with the West."
"He had been amassing influence networks with the powerful cadres, and especially with members of the Assembly of Experts, the 88-person body tasked with selecting the next Supreme Leader."
The younger Khamenei is also reportedly known for suppressing protests after the 2009 election, and he was granted the title of ayatollah in 2021, according to the Economic Times.
The other potential candidates include Alireza Arafi, the second deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts in addition to other duties, and Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, the first deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts. Arafi reportedly is a confidant of Iran's Supreme Leader, while Bushehri has ties to Khamenei as well.
