Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seriously ill, NYT report claims

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aged 85, is reportedly in serious health condition, expected to succeed him, according to a report by The New York Times on Saturday.

Although his second oldest son, Mojtaba Khamenei is expected to succeed him the NYT report claimed that Khamenei's deteriorating health has led to a "quiet battle" over his succession.

It also states that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) will have a role in determining the next Ayatollah's successor.

Concerns regarding Khamenei's succession have increased following the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last May.

Khamenei has held the position of Supreme Leader since 1989, after the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, the title's inaugural holder.

Iranian officials have asserted that they do not seek escalation with Israel.

In another development, social media platform X has suspended the newly launched Hebrew-language account associated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just one day after it was activated.

A note on the account, which appeared under the handle @Khamenei_Heb, cited the suspension for “violating X’s rules” shortly after it posted a statement warning Israel over its recent military actions. The post read, "The Zionist regime made a mistake... it will soon understand the strength and resolve of the Iranian nation.”

X’s community guidelines prohibit content from “violent and hateful entities,” but often make exceptions for posts from “state or governmental entities.”

Despite this exception, the platform proceeded with the suspension, leading to no immediate public response from either Khamenei’s office or representatives from X.

This suspension occurs amid heightened tensions after Israel’s recent airstrikes targeting Iran in response to a ballistic missile incident earlier in October.