Iran says Khamenei 'safe and sound', 'enemy resorting to mental warfare' as Israel claims death
A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him addressing a meeting with local champions and medalists of sports and world science awards in Tehran on October 20, 2025. PHOTO: AFP
Iranian authorities said on Saturday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was "safe and sound" and called on the people to remain vigilant and not be swayed by what they described as the enemy’s “mental warfare” after reports that he was allegedly killed in an Israeli air strike on Saturday.
Iranian state media cited the head of public relations at the supreme leader's office as saying: “The enemy is resorting to mental warfare, all should be aware.”
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were growing signs that Khamenei was “gone”, as a senior Israeli official claimed the supreme leader’s body had been found following an Israeli strike on his compound.
שבוע טוב, אחיי ואחיותיי, אזרחי ישראל.
הבוקר יצאנו, ישראל וארה״ב, למבצע משולב להסרת האיום הקיומי על ישראל מצד משטר האייתולות באיראן.
אמרתי לכם: המבצע יימשך ככל הדרוש, ונדרש גם אורך רוח.
אני מודה לידידי, הנשיא דונלד טראמפ, על מנהיגותו. שוחחתי איתו שוב הבוקר ואני מברך על שיתוף… pic.twitter.com/9u0Hm9Vmng“This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer. This morning we eliminated senior officials in the ayatollahs’ regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear programme — and we will continue. In the next few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime.”
Netanyahu said Revolutionary Guards commanders and senior nuclear officials were killed while also calling on Iranian citizens to “flood the streets and finish the job”.
Read: Iran targets US bases in Gulf after American, Israeli strikes kill 201, injure 747
Separately, a senior Israeli official told Reuters that Khamenei was dead and his body had been found.
Israel’s military said its pilots had hit hundreds of targets across Iran, including strategic defence systems previously damaged in strikes last year. It said three sites where leaders had been meeting were struck simultaneously, and several senior figures were killed.
A Fox News reporter also said, citing a US official, that the government believed Khamenei and five to 10 top Iranian leaders were killed in an initial Israeli strike.
Sky News reported that when questioned by NBC News if he had had the reports confirmed or thought Khamenei was dead, Trump said: "I don't want to comment on that, but the rumour is, and the word is, that he has been killed."
When asked how and when he would get confirmation about the reported death, Trump replied: "I've spoken to a lot of people, beyond, and we feel certain, we feel, we feel that that is a correct story."
A satellite image shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026. Photo: Reuters
However, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry told Sky News that the supreme leader and the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, were both alive and well.
"They are all safe and sound," Esmail Baghaei said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei says in an interview with Sky's @MarkAustinTV that the country's leadership is 'safe and sound'.
🔗 https://t.co/ABp9zYr8oo pic.twitter.com/ydeH72t5lSIranian news agencies Tasnim and Mehr reported that the supreme leader was "steadfast and firm in commanding the field".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also earlier refuted reports of Khamenei’s death. In an interview with NBC News, he said the supreme leader was still alive “as far as I know”.
“Almost all officials are safe and sound and alive. We may have lost one or two commanders, but that is not a big problem,” he added.
When asked about US President Donald Trump’s pre-recorded remarks after the attacks, Araghchi dismissed efforts at regime change as “mission impossible”.
Separately, a source with knowledge of the matter said Khamenei had been transferred in advance to a secure location outside Tehran, but Reuters could not immediately verify his status, as satellite images showed significant damage to his Tehran compound.
Khamenei, 86, has ruled Iran since 1989. As supreme leader, he holds ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military and the judiciary in the Islamic republic.
Also Read: Death toll rises to 85 in Israeli strike on girls’ school in southern Iran
Over almost four decades, Khamenei built a regional power to rival the states across the Gulf while promoting nuclear technology that unnerved the surrounding region.
But Saturday's strikes on Iran come amid a cascade of crises.
Khamenei was forced into hiding last June by strikes that killed several close associates and Revolutionary Guard commanders. The June 2025 strikes by Israel and the US smashed prized nuclear and missile facilities.
Huge protests in January by an embittered population toiling under sanctions were crushed at a cost of thousands of lives.
And ever since the Tehran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Khamenei's regional influence has been weakening.