Conflicting reports emerge over Iran's Khamenei status
Astro AWANI
01/03/2026 | 06:01 MYT
FILE PHOTO: People walk near a mural featuring images of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on a street in Tehran, Iran, February 17, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
TEHRAN:
Conflicting reports have emerged about the fate of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several U.S.-based media outlets have so far reported that the 86-year-old leader had been killed.
Even the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also suggested he was dead.
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to support those claims in an interview with NBC News.
“We feel that that is a correct story,” Trump said, referring to reports of Khamenei’s death.
In fact, he added that most of Iran’s senior leadership was “gone.”
“The people who make all the decisions, most of them are gone,” Trump said.
However, Iranian state-linked news agencies denied the reports.
They said Khamenei remains alive and is “steadfast and firm in commanding the field.”
Despite this, the agencies did not provide evidence to support their claims.
There has been no independent confirmation of Khamenei’s status.