Does he have prostrate cancer, is he in coma? Rumors swirl on Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's health
The stakes are high, with speculation about Khamenei's successor and the broader implications for Iran's political landscape. Iranian journalist and analyst Ashkan Safaei Hakimi outlines two main scenarios: one where a new leader attempts to improve relations with the West, likely only creating a perception of reform, and another where political instability leads to a popular uprising and potential regime change.
Khamenei has been Iran's supreme leader for nearly three decades, holding immense power over major issues like foreign policy and the nuclear program. Speculation about his health intensified after an October 27 New York Times report suggested his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, might be his successor. Over the weekend, rumors surfaced that Khamenei was in a coma, but Iranian state media countered these claims by publishing a photo of him meeting with Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani.
Dr. Liora Hendelman-Baavur, director of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies, speculated that the rumors could be an attempt «to instigate or stir up domestic and internal protests or demonstrations to destabilize the system from the inside.»
Opposition to the regime remains widespread in Iran. The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) reported over 4,000 street protests across the country's provinces in the past two years. «This is not a flash-in-the-pan moment for Iran but a movement with an unprecedented level of support across all demographics,» wrote Jemima Shelley, a geopolitics analyst for TBI.
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