HIBAPRESS
Since the first speech addressed to the Iranian people on March 12, ambiguity has been increasing regarding the whereabouts and health of the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, as he has not appeared in any public event, nor have the Iranian authorities published recent photos of him or even recordings of his voice.
Media and academic analyses have suggested that many of the photos recently published of him were generated or modified using artificial intelligence techniques.
Among these photos is a photo of his new account on the "X" platform, which was based on an archival photo that was modified using artificial intelligence tools.
Despite Iranian officials' confirmation that Khamenei is alive and in control, questions are increasing inside Iran regarding his condition: Has he been injured? And is he still alive at all?
Khamenei (56 years old), succeeded his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his headquarters, and also resulted in the death of a number of his family members, including his wife, his sister, and his niece.
According to Iranian, Israeli, and Western officials, Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during the attack, but the severity of his injury remains unclear.
In this context, the Director of National Intelligence of the United States, Tulsi Gabbard, said that Khamenei was severely injured, which caused confusion within the Iranian leadership.
Two Iranian officials confirmed, in non-public statements, that Khamenei was injured but did not lose the ability to manage the country's affairs, indicating that he is hiding from the public for security reasons.
In contrast, Israel continues to target prominent Iranian political and security leaders in an effort to destabilize the regime.
The head of the Iranian National Security Council, Ali Larijani, was killed in an airstrike days after his public appearance in Tehran.
In a statement attributed to him on the occasion of Nowruz, Khamenei affirmed that this strategy will not succeed, indicating that targeting the leaders of the regime did not cause the expected state of panic, and that the Iranians showed great solidarity.
However, the statement, which was broadcast in the voice of a commentator on official television, did not dispel doubts about his health.
Khamenei is considered a prominent target for Israel, which makes his public appearance fraught with risks. Nevertheless, a number of Iranian officials continue to appear in the media and comment on developments, unlike Khamenei, who remains absent.
Khamenei is known for his distance from the media, as he only conducted one interview in 2021, and his video archive is also limited. In an attempt to introduce him to the public, the official media broadcast an old video of him giving a religious lesson.
Opponents scoff at his absence, circulating fabricated clips and satirical photos, some of which are generated by artificial intelligence, and describing him as the "cartoon guide."
The US Central Intelligence Agency "CIA", Mossad and other intelligence agencies around the world were monitoring the Nowruz celebrations on Friday to see if the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, would follow his father's tradition and give a speech on the occasion of the New Year.
But Mojtaba Khamenei confined himself to publishing a written statement, without any visual appearance, contrary to the annual tradition that his father used to do, which deepened the mystery about his health and whereabouts.
(Sky News)
