Multiple social media posts surfaced Saturday claiming that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, is in a state of coma. The claims started going viral on social media on the heels of a report by the New York Times earlier in October that Ali Khamenei is "seriously ill." However, there is no official word from any sources about further deterioration of the Ayatollah's health.
Jason Brodsky, the Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute, debunked the claims saying that they are most likely false. He added that Ali Khamenei was last spotted on November 7.
"Tweets about how #Iran's regime's supreme leader is in a coma or has even died are all over my timeline," he wrote. "There is not one credible news outlet which has reported as such. So please be careful what you post. Khamenei was last seen in public on November 7. "
Tweets about how #Iran’s regime’s supreme leader is in a coma or has even died are all over my timeline. There is not one credible news outlet which has reported as such. So please be careful what you post. Khamenei was last seen in public on November 7.And I see somehow…
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) November 16, 2024
The New York Times report, published on October 27, claimed that Khamenei is suffering from a major medical condition and is believed to be "seriously ill." The report went as far as to claim that Ali Khamenei's eldest son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would succeed him.
Despite there being no reports of further deterioration of Ali Khamenei's health, claims surfaced on social media that the 85-year-old is in a coma. Here are some such posts:
🚨 Ali Khamenei has fallen into a coma. pic.twitter.com/X2hIqutoor
— Eretz Israel (@EretzIsrael) November 16, 2024
🚨 🚨 BREAKING: Reports suggest that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is currently in a coma and in critical condition. This comes as the country grapples with its political future amidst ongoing regional tensions.#Iran#Khamenei#BreakingNews#ThinkForYourselfpic.twitter.com/sQfkmlg5au
— Scan The Wire News (@Scan_The_Wire) November 16, 2024
"Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, suffering from terminal cancer, has reportedly entered the realm of dreams… or perhaps, just a coma."~ @mpandey03pic.twitter.com/LJcHip3Qts
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) November 16, 2024
BREAKING The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly fallen into a coma and DIED. Good riddance!Iran will soon be free! pic.twitter.com/JBWV9G9e4J
— Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) November 16, 2024
Images of Ali Khamenei on a hospital bed also surfaced, adding to the rumors of him being in a coma. However, those images have also been debunked as from 2014.
There are currently many unsourced reports claiming Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran, is in a coma. Accompanying these reports are "leaked" or "unconfirmed" images – Used to give the unsourced reports credibility. These images aren't recent – They are from 2014 pic.twitter.com/kT5iXRApD6
— Tal Hagin (@talhagin) November 16, 2024
The NYT report about Ali Khamenei being "seriously ill" came soon after Israel conducted a precision military strike on several Iranian military targets. The Israeli Defence Forces said that the strike was conducted in response to the Iranian missile strike on Israel on October 1.