Viral video claiming Mojtaba Khamenei entering Iran war room debunked as AI-generated. Photo: X.
Is Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, commanding the war? A new video circulating online shows the new Ayotollah making a rare on-camera appearance as he enters a high-tech military command centre. Inside the room, a large electronic display of Israel’s Dimona Nuclear Research Center is visible. However, fact-checkers have debunked the video as AI-generated. Also, no one from the official Iranian sources has confirmed the authenticity of the video.
The video was first posted on X by a page called GBX_Press, which labelled it as “breaking news”. In its post, the account claimed that the footage showed Mojtaba Khamenei heading to a military operations room.
“Iran releases a new video showing for the first time Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on his way to the military operations room,” the post said.
Despite the claims, the video has not been confirmed by any official Iranian sources.
According to verification by Grok, the clip has not been reported or authenticated by Iranian state media outlets such as Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), or Tasnim News Agency.
Major international media organisations have also not carried any report confirming the video or the alleged appearance. News outlets have not published any reports about such a video release by the Iranian government.
Open-source intelligence assessments cited by Grok suggest that the video contains multiple signs indicating it may have been artificially created or manipulated.
Frame-by-frame examination reportedly shows that parts of the footage resemble older recordings of Ali Khamenei taken before his reported death. According to the analysis, these visuals appear to have been reused and digitally overlaid to simulate a new environment.
The clip also contains several visual inconsistencies. Observers have pointed to blurred facial details, unnatural lighting patterns and glitch-like transitions between frames. Grok noted that such irregularities are commonly associated with AI-generated or heavily edited video content.
The circulation of the video comes amid continuing speculation about Mojtaba Khamenei’s whereabouts and health since he reportedly succeeded his father earlier in 2026.
Open-source tracking cited by Grok notes that Mojtaba Khamenei has not made any verified public appearances since assuming the leadership role and has only issued written statements.
Amid speculation about his well-being, Russia addressed reports suggesting that the Iranian leader had travelled abroad for medical treatment.
On March 31, Russia’s ambassador to Iran, Alexey Dedov, said that Mojtaba Khamenei remains in Iran.
“As the Iranian leadership has stated repeatedly, the new leader is in Iran, but for obvious reasons, he is refraining from appearing in public,” Dedov said.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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