By Jeremy Fregene
The Kremlin has refused to confirm or deny mounting claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly evacuated Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to Moscow for emergency medical treatment following a reported Israeli strike.
Speculation has intensified in recent days that Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, sustained critical injuries during an airstrike that allegedly killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei.
Unverified reports, citing Iranian sources, claim the younger Khamenei was quietly flown out of Iran aboard a Russian military aircraft in what was described as a “highly secret operation” due to the sensitivity of his health and security situation. Some accounts allege he is being treated in a private clinic located within one of Putin’s presidential residences, with claims that a surgical procedure there was successful.
However, when asked directly about the reports on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to provide clarity, stating only: “We do not comment on such reports.”
The secrecy surrounding Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition has fuelled global speculation, particularly as he has not been seen publicly since the launch of the reported military campaign dubbed Operation Epic Fury.
In the United States, former President Donald Trump openly questioned whether the Iranian leader is still alive. Speaking in a media interview, Trump said: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him.”
Adding to the uncertainty, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly claimed last week that Mojtaba Khamenei had been “wounded and likely disfigured,” though no independent verification has emerged.
Iranian authorities, however, have pushed back against the claims. The country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Abbas Araghchi, insisted that the nation’s leader is in good health and remains fully in control.
“The Leader of the Revolution is in complete health and is fully managing the situation,” Araghchi said in a statement carried by state media, though he provided no evidence to support the assertion.
He also indicated that Tehran is open to forming a regional committee to investigate the recent strikes, maintaining that Iran’s military actions have been directed solely at US interests and bases in the region, without targeting civilian areas.
With no visual confirmation of Mojtaba Khamenei and conflicting narratives from global actors, uncertainty continues to cloud the situation, even as Moscow maintains a studied silence.