Is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a Coma? Iran Shares New Photo to Address Rumors

Is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a Coma? Iran Shares New Photo to Address Rumors

Reports have surfaced claiming that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is in a coma and has secretly chosen his 55-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor. These rumors followed an October report from *The New York Times* stating that Khamenei, 85, was seriously ill.

However, Khamenei’s official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a photo of him meeting Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, in his office. The post explained that the meeting was part of Khamenei’s regular daily schedule.

Amani, who was injured in a September explosion in Lebanon that killed 39 people, reportedly updated Khamenei on his health during the meeting. The explosion, linked to devices used by Hezbollah, was blamed on Israel by both Iran and Hezbollah.

In October, Khamenei gave a rare public sermon, his first in five years, after Iran launched 180 missiles targeting Israeli infrastructure. Speaking to a large crowd in Tehran, he declared that Israel “won’t last long” and supported the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements. He called the missile strikes on Israel a “public service” and held a gun while addressing the crowd. 

Iran openly backs both Hamas and Hezbollah, who are actively fighting Israeli forces in the region.

ظهر امروز یکشنبه ۲۷ آبان ۱۴۰۳؛ دیدار و گفت‌وگو با آقای مجتبی امانی، سفیر جانباز جمهوری اسلامی ایران در لبنان pic.twitter.com/ctIRbi9bVA

— KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی 🇮🇷 (@Khamenei_fa) November 17, 2024