(July 3, 2026)
His last public appearance was on February 8, mere weeks before he was reportedly missing after the deaths of Khamenei and other Revolutionary Guards officials during Operation Epic Fury on February 28.
Archiv: the (Supreme) Leader (ruler of Iran)
Iran‘s Revolutionary Guard shadow leader resurfaced at a funeral after months
(July 4, 2026)
The fate of General Vahidi, who disappeared before the February 28 operation that killed Ayatollah Khamenei and many senior Revolutionary Guard officials, including former commander Mohammad Pakpour, had long been a subject of debate. Vahidi, attending Khamenei‘s funeral ceremony held ahead of the 40-day national mourning period starting this weekend, was captured by Iranian state media cameras mourning at the side of the coffin.
Iran‘s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Remains Absent as Funeral Draws Global Attention, Fueling Succession Questions
(July 7, 2026)
His absence was particularly notable during the main funeral procession through Tehran on Monday, where three of Ali Khamenei‘s sons-Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud-were shown praying beside the family‘s coffins. Mojtaba did not appear alongside them, nor has he delivered a public speech or recorded message since assuming the country‘s highest office in March.
According to reports, Iranian security officials have discouraged Mojtaba from attending the remaining funeral ceremonies because they believe he could become a target for another Israeli attack.
Officials have reportedly rejected his request to attend the final burial in Mashhad, citing continuing security threats.
Who Is Running Iran? Mojtaba Khameneiâs Public Absence Sparks ‚Command Crisis‘ Rumours
(March 22, 2026)
Despite the expectations of CIA and Mossad for a traditional New Yearâs speech, Mojtaba Khamenei remained out of sight, issuing only a text-based statement on Telegram for Nowruz.
Sources cited by The Jerusalem Post indicate that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may currently hold the reins of the country, with one source suggesting the Guard is controlling Mojtaba rather than following his lead.
UKMTO issues warning after report of fire on board container ship
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an incident some nine nautical miles (about 17km) east of the Omani coast.
âMilitary authorities have reported that a container ship has sustained damage to the rear of the vessel, which has caused a fire on board,â it said.
âVessels are advised to transit with caution,â it added.
The alert came moments after CENTCOM announced the start of a third round of strikes on Iran, citing an Iranian attack on a Cyprus-flagged ship in the strait.
When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes
(September / October 2014)
A few Iranian sources have previously pointed to a fatwa by the Islamic Republicâs first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, prohibiting chemical weapons as the explanation for why Iran did not deploy these weapons during the war with Iraq. But no details have ever been made public on when and how Khomeini issued such a fatwa, so it has been ignored for decades.
Now, however, the wartime chief of the Iranian ministry responsible for military procurement has provided an eyewitness account of Khomeiniâs ban not only on chemical weapons, but on nuclear weapons as well. In an interview with me in Tehran in late September, Mohsen Rafighdoost, who served as minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) throughout the eight-year war, revealed that he had proposed to Khomeini that Iran begin working on both nuclear and chemical weapons â but was told in two separate meetings that weapons of mass destruction are forbidden by Islam.
Iranâs rejection of nuclear weapons based on religious beliefs, fatwa: Pezeshkian
(February 26, 2026)
President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated Iranâs opposition to nuclear weapons, saying the policy is rooted in âtheological“ beliefs and a religious decree issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei banning nuclear arms.
„When the religious leader explicitly states that we will not pursue nuclear weapons, this is a position rooted in theological and jurisprudential beliefs, not a political tactic that can be changed,â Pezeshkian said while speaking during a visit to the northern province of Mazandaran on Thursday, highlighting the fatwa (religious decree) that had been issued by Ayatollah Khamenei forbidding nuclear arms.
This morningâs attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.
Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process. We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down. There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace â Letâs not blow it! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Qatari delegation in Tehran to push USâIran peace deal amid resistance
TEHRAN â A Qatari delegation has reportedly arrived in Tehran amid high-level diplomatic activity linked to ongoing efforts for âmessage exchangeâ between the US and Iran, as Tehran shows resistance over signing date.
The visiting delegation is headed by advisor to Qatarâs Foreign Minister. The visit is said to aim at continuing indirect communication and transmission of messages between Tehran and Washington. This is second visit by the Qatari delegation to Tehran within just a few days amid intensified behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
A potential peace agreement between Iran and US could be signed digitally as early as today.
Interior Minister Naqvi to leave for Iran with messages from Pakistanâs top leadership
Interior Minister of Pakistan Mohsin Naqvi is scheduled to depart for Iran today on high-level diplomatic visit amid intensified engagement between Islamabad and Tehran as situation remained tense in Gulf.
Naqvi is carrying special message from Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir addressed to Iranâs Supreme Leader, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also entrusted him with a separate message for the Iranian leadership.
Iran‘s supreme leader vows ânew phaseâ in Hormuz
In a statement released on the 40th day since the assassination of former Supreme Leader, Khamenei affirmed that Tehran âconsiders all resistance fronts as a unified entity,“ adding that Iran is still awaiting an appropriate response from neighbors âso that we may show you our brotherhood and goodwill.â
US VP Vance says âwould be dumbâ for Iran to derail ceasefire âover Lebanonâ
âWe have the Iranians promising to open the Strait of Hormuz, and we have a negotiation thatâs supposed to start this weekend.â
(…)
âIf Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, thatâs ultimately their choice. We think that would be dumb. But thatâs their choice.â
Iran reportedly closes Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire agreement remains in peril
Fars said tanker traffic would come to a âcomplete stop,â citing what it described as Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including attacks in Lebanon. Israel has said it will continue operations in Lebanon, arguing it was not part of the agreement, a claim disputed by Iran.
The report said two ships were allowed to pass through the strait before Iran reversed course.
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, state media says
TEHRAN, Iran â Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Iranian state media reports.
Two Thai ships cleared through Hormuz; fate of 3 crew remains unknown
Iranian and Omani teams have reached the Thai-flagged vessel Mayuree Naree, hit by an Iranian projectile earlier this month near the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said yesterday.
Further information is being verified, and it is hoped that three missing crew are safe, he added.
Meanwhile, Iran has agreed to Thailandâs request to allow two Thai vessels, one belonging to Bangchak and another to SCG Chemicals, to transit the strait.
Iranian missiles sow panic in Israeli town
It is the first time Israel‘s nuclear research center has been targeted in the fighting. Israel‘s military said it was not able to intercept missiles that hit the southern cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center in Israel‘s sparsely populated Negev desert.
20 injured across Dimona after Iranian rocket strike
An Iranian rocket attack struck Dimona, injuring twenty people across twelve locations and causing damage to buildings, according to ‚Israeli‘ media. Emergency teams are on site providing medical assistance and securing the area. Authorities continue to urge residents to stay in safe locations as the situation develops.
Iranian missile hits Dimona, home to a nuclear facility in Southern Israel
An Iranian ballistic missile struck the southern Israeli city of Dimona as Tehran retaliates against attacks on its nuclear infrastructure. Dimona, home to Israelâs Negev Nuclear Research Center, was targeted amid reports of longârange missile launches by Iranian forces following recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, including the Natanz enrichment facility. The Negev facility lies carries symbolic and strategic significance as a cornerstone of Israelâs nuclear research program.
Iran hits Israeli town housing nuclear facility in retaliation for Natanz strike
An Iranian missile has hit the Israeli town of Dimona, home to a nuclear facility, in what Iran said was retaliation for strikes on its own nuclear site at Natanz.
Dimona hosts a facility just outside the main town widely believed to possess the Middle Eastâs sole nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons.
In first address, Iranâs new Leader stresses defense, need to keep Hormuz closed
Ayatollah Khamenei also addressed the leadership in neighboring countries, urging them to reconsider their relations with foreign powers using their territories to launch attacks against Iran.
âWe share borders with 15 countries, both land and sea, and have always sought warm and constructive relations with them,â he said, adding that the enemy has established military and financial bases in some of these nations.
He made it clear that while Iran will continue to target these foreign bases, it remains committed to good relations with its neighbors, provided they stop hosting such foreign military installations.
Assembly of Experts elects Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as Iranâs third Leader
The statement said the Assembly of Experts moved quickly to select a successor despite acute wartime conditions, direct threats against the institution and the bombing of the Assemblyâs secretariat offices, which it said resulted in the deaths of several staff members and security personnel.
According to the statement, the body began preparations for an extraordinary session immediately after news of the Leaderâs martyrdom. It said arrangements were made to gather its members from across the country in order to ensure that the Islamic Republic would not face a leadership vacuum.
Under Iranâs constitution, the Assembly of Experts â an 88-member clerical body elected by popular vote â is responsible for selecting and overseeing the countryâs Leader.
‚Any leader selected⊑: Even before Khamenei‘s funeral, Israel puts successor on âassassinationâ notice
Amid suspense over who takes the thrown after Khamenei‘s assassination, reports surfaced late Tuesday from Israeli Media that his son Mojtaba has been chosen as the successor.
Katz said it does not matter what the successor‘s name is âor the place where he hides.â
„The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation „Lion‘s Roar,“ the Israeli defence minister said on X.
Israeli defence minister pledges to âeliminateâ any successor to Khamenei
âIt does not matter what his name is or where he hides,â he said.
Katz went on to say that Israel will continue to act with the US to destroy Iranâs capabilities and âcreate the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrowâ their government.
Iranian state TV announces death of Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Iranian state media announced the death of Iran‘s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after contradictory reports of the killing.
Iranâs Khamenei has been killed, Iranian media say
The Tasnim and Fars news agencies are confirming the death of Iranâs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran Reports Death of Khamenei Family Members in U.S.âIsraeli Airstrikes
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 1. Four members of Supreme Leader Ali Khameneiâs family were reportedly killed in airstrikes carried out by Israel and the United States, Trend reports, citing Iranian media.
Among the deceased are Khameneiâs daughter, his son-in-law, his grandson, and one of his daughters-in-law.