Israeli media has reported that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died. The unconfirmed report came after an Iranian journalist tweeted hours earlier that the supreme leader transferred powers to his son Mojtaba Khamenei due to health reasons.
The Jewish Press said in a report that the formal announcement of the supreme leader's death will be made only after the power transfer is complete. "The duties and powers of the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been transferred to his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who oversees several security and intelligence departments in Iran," Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze had said earlier.
Iran has not confirmed if the supreme leader is unwell or if the reported power transfer is underway.
While mainstream regional news outlets have not confirmed the news, smaller publications around the world published reports citing the Israel-affiliated news outlet.
Citing sources in Iran, the report said doctors from the Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran attended to an emergency medical condition at the home of the supreme leader on Saturday.
The Iranian leader had been the victim of death hoax earlier too. In 2007 rumors of his illness and death had circulated in Iran and the region. However, Khamenei later trashed the reports, saying enemies of the country were behind it. A similar rumor surfaced again in 2014 following a prostate surgery that he underwent.
