Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Not Being Treated In Russia, Says Official

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 6:02 PM IST

Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, denied reports that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is receiving medical treatment in Moscow.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (Image: Reuters/File)

Iranian ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali on Tuesday denied media reports that the country’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is receiving medical treatment in Moscow following claims that he was injured in the same US-Israel airstrike last month — on the first day of the war — that killed his father and former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Jalali made the comment while speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency.

The denial comes after Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida claimed over the weekend that the 56-year-old cleric had been severely injured in a US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father, Ali Khamenei, on February 28 and had been moved to Moscow for treatment following a personal invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the report, Khamenei was flown to Moscow on a Russian military plane and was undergoing surgery in a private medical facility reportedly located within one of Putin’s residences.

ALSO READ: Mojtaba Khamenei Recovering In Russia? Did Putin ‘Offer’ Medical Aid To Iran’s Supreme Leader?

Al-Jarida also suggested that the transfer was part of a highly classified operation due to concerns over Khamenei’s health and the possibility of Israeli targeting.

The report cited a senior source close to the Iranian leadership, claiming that his injuries required constant monitoring in a facility that could not be guaranteed in Iran while air strikes continued.

Russian officials had earlier refused to comment on the report, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying, “We never comment on such reports.”

Speculation about Khamenei’s health has grown in recent weeks, particularly after doubts arose over his first public statement since becoming Supreme Leader.

Some reports have suggested the statement may not have been written by Khamenei himself, pointing to similarities in language with remarks made by Ali Larijani, secretary general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The absence of an audio recording of the statement has further fueled such suspicions.

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