Almost six months after becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen, heard or photographed even once and his prolonged silence is now fueling rumors that he may already be dead.
IranWire reported that no cabinet member has met with him since he became Supreme Leader. The reason may be linked to security concerns. Mojtaba would be a likely target for an Israeli or US airstrike, similar to the one that killed his father, and any direct communication from him could give Iran’s enemies clues about his whereabouts.
Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaght, a former official and relative of Mojtaba, said fewer than five people have met him since he took power “due to security precautions.
Even Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said he has not seen Mojtaba. He has been staying in touch with senior officials through a slow network of intermediaries to reduce the risk of being targeted, according to reports.
Pezeshkian confirmed to Iranian media that he spent seven hours with Mojtaba discussing the war and the economy. Mojtaba has not confirmed or denied the claim, as per The Atlantic. Despite the rationale, growing silence from his office has triggered rumors of his death. Officials close to him insist otherwise. Whether Mojtaba is alive or dead, his absence is causing problems for Iran’s government. The Supreme Leader holds most of the power in Iran and has always been the one to settle disputes between rival groups in the government, a job Mojtaba doesn’t seem to be doing right now, at a time when it matters most. It also includes parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf and IRGC chief General Ahmad Vahidi. Hardliners used this to claim that Ghalibaf had pressured him into accepting it.
The office’s most recent statement came on August 9, saying Mojtaba had met with President Masoud Pezeshkian. A 13-member National Security Council, led by President Pezeshkian, is effectively running the country. In June, 12 of the 13 members agreed to a deal with the US.
“I believe Mojtaba has either passed away or is brain-dead,” a staffer at a government institution in Tehran told The Atlantic, citing the drop-off in even indirect communication. At least two other officials reportedly said the same, with one saying he believed Mojtaba died or became brain-dead earlier this month. Two sources in the Iranian government told IranWire that word had spread among the “highest level of the regime” that Mojtaba was doing very poorly and could die at any moment. About two weeks ago, a public appeal asked Iranians to pray for his health and sacrifice sheep for him, saying his life was “under threat” and that some clerics had warned he might be killed. Khoshvaght told The Atlantic he was certain Mojtaba is alive, calling the death rumors “part of a psychological war hoping to demoralize Iran’s officials and its people, for them to give up to the pressures and threats of America. Abdolreza Davari, a former adviser to the interior ministry, said the leader is “in full health” and will soon be revealed to the public. Mojtaba said he supported the deal but added that he had opposed it “in principle” at first.
