Reports surrounding the fate of Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the wife of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggered confusion on Thursday after an Iranian state-linked outlet said earlier claims about her death were incorrect.
According to a report by Fars News, which is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Bagherzadeh is alive, contradicting earlier reports circulated by several Iranian state media outlets that suggested she had been killed.
Where is Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh?
The clarification came after questions emerged earlier in the day when Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement but made no mention of his mother’s death.
In the days immediately following Ali Khamenei’s killing, several state media outlets had reported that his wife had also died. Those reports resurfaced after Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement, prompting scrutiny over the accuracy of the earlier claims.
JUST IN 🇮🇷: Iranian Media Confirms the Wife of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive
Iranian state media confirms Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, wife of late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is alive and prior death reports were false. https://t.co/vVdtiGCWzs pic.twitter.com/stmDT13rud
— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) March 12, 2026
Ali Khamenei Killed
Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed during the opening phase of the war in a strike carried out jointly by the United States and Israel.
In the days following the attack, multiple reports claimed that Bagherzadeh had also been killed in the strikes. However, the Fars News report said those claims were incorrect.
Local media reports also indicated that several members of Khamenei’s extended family were killed in the strikes on the first day of the war on February 28. Those reportedly included his daughter-in-law, son-in-law, daughter and a grandchild.
Where is Ali Khamenei’s Wife Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh?
Separate reports said Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh had been injured in the joint airstrikes conducted by the United States and Israel during the opening salvo of the Iran war and later succumbed to her injuries.
The airstrike that targeted the family also killed Ali Khamenei and several other relatives.
Bagherzadeh, who was married to Iran’s most powerful leader since 1979, has long been known for maintaining a low public profile and largely staying away from public appearances.
Who is Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh?
Despite being part of one of Iran’s most influential families, Bagherzadeh, 79, remained among the most private members of the ruling establishment.
Her father, Mohammad Esmaeil Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, was a well-known businessman based in Mashhad.
Her brother, Hassan, served as deputy director of Iran’s state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
Bagherzadeh married Ali Khamenei in 1964. In an interview given in 1993, Khamenei recalled that his mother had visited Bagherzadeh’s family home to formally ask for her hand in marriage.
The couple went on to have six children together, four sons and two daughters.
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
