--- title: "Mojtaba Khamenei appears in undated video amid health speculation" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/mojtaba-khamenei-appears-in-undated-video-amid-health-speculation" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/mojtaba-khamenei-appears-in-undated-video-amid-health-speculation" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/mojtaba-khamenei-appears-in-undated-video-amid-health-speculation.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/mojtaba-khamenei-appears-in-undated-video-amid-health-speculation" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-08-09T02:46:18.837Z" source_reported: "2026-08-09T01:18:47.000Z" updated: "2026-08-09T04:30:16.608Z" trust_score: 74 critic_score: 58 hype_score: 32 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-09T04:29:23.176Z" --- # Mojtaba Khamenei appears in undated video amid health speculation *Iran’s state-linked Mehr news agency released footage of the Supreme Leader after reports of critical illness and Israeli claims* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 74 of 100, higher is better. Multiple outlets corroborate video release. - Craft 58 of 100, higher is better. Lack of detail on video date and location. - Hype 32 of 100, lower is better. Some outlets sensationalize health rumors. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency released an undated video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on 8 August 2026, the first since his appointment in March. - The video shows Khamenei giving a religious lesson but does not specify when or where it was recorded, fuelling speculation about his health and whereabouts. - Reports of Khamenei’s critical health emerged after Israeli media claimed he had been hospitalised, which the video appears intended to counter. - None of the reports confirm whether the video was recorded before or after the 28 February US-Israel attacks that killed his predecessor and father, Ali Khamenei. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency released a video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on 8 August 2026. The footage, which carries no date or location, shows Khamenei giving a religious lesson to a group of people. It was published after reports circulated about his critical health and Israeli media claims that he had been hospitalised. Khamenei became Iran’s Supreme Leader in early March 2026, following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israel attacks on 28 February. Since then, he has not appeared in public. State media have carried only written statements attributed to him. The video released on 8 August is the first visual record of him since his appointment. The video’s release follows days of speculation about Khamenei’s health. Israeli media reported that he was in critical condition and had been rushed to hospital. Mehr’s video shows him speaking and moving without visible difficulty, but the agency did not explain why the footage was released now or when it was recorded. ## Disagreements in the reports The reports disagree on whether the video was recorded before or after the 28 February attacks. ANSA states the video "seems to have been shot before the war". Xinhua does not address the timing. The other reports do not mention the question. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention that the video appears to have been recorded before the 28 February attacks, as reported by ANSA. The left-rated report from Xinhua does not address the timing of the video. The centre-rated reports from ANSA and Hindustan Times do not include President Pezeshkian’s statement about the difficulty of interacting with Khamenei. ## Who covered it Shares of the 15 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 27% (4) - Centre: 13% (2) - Right: 60% (9) 5 of 20 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-09T04:29:23.176Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 2 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-09T04:30:16.608Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports agree that Iran’s Mehr news agency released an undated video of Mojtaba Khamenei on 8 August 2026. All four outlets note the video’s lack of timestamp or location. Three digests describe it as a response to recent health speculation. - Xinhua’s full report states Mojtaba Khamenei was speaking to people around him but does not name them. The Indian Express and One India digests both cite Israeli outlets as the source of earlier reports about his health. CGTN’s digest calls the video a lecture session without further detail. - None of the left-rated digests mention the February US-Israel attacks or Ali Khamenei’s death. Xinhua’s report includes these events but does not link them to the video’s release. The digests do not quote any Iranian officials or medical sources. ### Centre - ANSA’s report led on the video’s lack of a date and the speculation it would fuel about Khamenei’s health and whereabouts. It quoted CNN’s reporting and noted that the video appeared to be from before the war. It described Mehr as "close to the Supreme Leader" but said the video had not been widely published by other Iranian channels. The Hindustan Times digest led on the video’s emergence amid health concerns and the social media debate over whether it was old. ### Right - The right-rated digests led on the video as a response to Israeli media claims about Khamenei’s critical health. India TV News, Times of India, Latestly and Tribune India all framed the video’s release as an attempt to counter those reports. The Times of India digest added that President Pezeshkian had acknowledged direct interaction with Khamenei was "currently very difficult". None of the right-rated digests mentioned the question of whether the video was recorded before or after the 28 February attacks. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 12 - high: 2 - unknown: 5 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Haberler](https://haberler.com/haberler/bu-bir-ilk-iranin-hamaney-hamlesi-kafalari-daha-20129347-haberi) — This Is a First! Iran's Move Regarding Khamenei Has Further Confused Matters. - [The Sunday Guardian Live](https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/us-israel-iran-war-latest-news-irans-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-critically-ill-tehran-responds-to-health-reports-257038) — US Israel Iran War Latest News: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘Critically Ill’? Tehran Responds To Health Reports - [tv9gujarati.com](https://tv9gujarati.com/international-news/breaking-news-mojtaba-khamenei-seen-for-first-time-in-war-12-second-video-released-amid-health-concerns-1495125.html) — Breaking News: Mojtaba Khamenei Seen in War for the First Time! Amid Health Concerns, 12-Second Video released...What Will America Do Now? - [One India](https://oneindia.com/international/mojtaba-khamenei-death-rumours-iran-releases-video-to-counter-claims-8170901.html) — Mojtaba Khamenei Death Rumours: Iran Releases Video To Counter Claims - [Zoom News](https://zoomnews.in/en/news-detail/mujtaba-khamenei-video-surfaces-iran-supreme-leader-seen-amid-health-rumors.html) — Mujtaba Khamenei Video Surfaces: Iran Supreme Leader Seen Amid Health Rumors - [CGTN](https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-08-08/Iranian-media-releases-video-featuring-Mojtaba-Khamenei-1PrIw1oPHeE/p.html) — Iranian media releases video featuring Mojtaba Khamenei - [Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/world/iran-releases-video-mojtaba-khamenei-health-reports-10824450) — Iran releases video clip of Mojtaba Khamenei amid reports of failing health - [NEWS9 LIVE](https://news9live.com/world/watch-iran-releases-video-of-mojtaba-khamenei-after-reports-claimed-supreme-leader-critical-2997725) — Iran releases video of Mojtaba Khamenei after reports claimed Supreme Leader critical - [Republic World](https://republicworld.com/world-news/iranian-media-releases-undated-video-of-mojtaba-khamenei-after-israeli-media-report-on-his-poor-health-2026-08-09-134340) — Iranian Media Releases Undated Video of Mojtaba Khamenei After Israeli Media Report on His Poor Health - [India Today](https://indiatoday.in/world/story/iran-releases-undated-video-of-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-for-first-time-counters-ill-health-reports-2966888-2026-08-09) — Iran releases undated video of Mojtaba Khamenei to counter ill-health reports - [Live Mint](https://livemint.com/news/iran-releases-first-video-of-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-amid-speculations-about-his-deteriorating-health-condition-11786241092402.html) — Iran releases first video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei amid speculations about his deteriorating health condition - [आज तक](https://aajtak.in/world/story/iran-releases-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-new-video-serious-health-rumors-ntc-drmt-dskc-2618324-2026-08-09) — Mojtaba Khamenei Was Seen Sitting and Chatting with People; a New Video Has Emerged Amid Claims that He Is in Critical Condition. - [Moneycontrol](https://moneycontrol.com/world/iran-releases-video-of-mojtaba-khamenei-after-reports-of-extremely-critical-health-article-13998865.html) — Iran releases first video of Mojtaba Khamenei after reports of ‘extremely critical’ health - [India TV News](https://indiatvnews.com/news/world/iran-releases-new-video-of-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-amid-reports-of-critical-health-2026-08-09-1050815) — Iran releases new video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei amid reports of critical health - [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/days-after-critical-health-reports-undated-video-of-iran-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-released-watch-101786236476281.html) — Purported new visuals of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei emerge amid health concerns - [Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/iran-releases-video-of-mojtaba-khamenei-after-reports-of-critical-health/articleshow/133061239.cms) — Iran releases video of Mojtaba Khamenei after reports of critical health - [Latestly](https://latestly.com/agency-news/world-news-irans-mehr-news-agency-releases-undated-video-of-mojtaba-khamenei-after-israeli-media-report-on-his-poor-health-7551692.html) — Iran's Mehr News Agency Releases Undated Video of Mojtaba Khamenei After Israeli Media Report on His Poor Health - [Tribune India](https://tribuneindia.com/news/world/irans-mehr-news-agency-releases-undated-video-of-mojtaba-khamenei-after-israeli-media-report-on-his-poor-health) — Irans Mehr News agency releases undated video of Mojtaba Khamenei after Israeli Media report on his poor health - The Tribune - [Agi.it](https://agi.it/estero/news/2026-08-08/video-khamenei-iran-38454831) — Iran, Khamenei's Video on State Media. But It's Dateless. - [ANSA](https://ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2026/08/08/media-iraniano-diffonde-un-video-di-khamenei-ma-e-senza-data_94597c88-cc7e-49fd-8819-dd94dcd6eb08.html) — Iranian Media Spreads a Khamenei Video, but It's Dateless - [Metrópoles](https://metropoles.com/mundo/lider-ira-surge-em-video-apos-rumores-sobre-seu-estado-de-saude) — Iran's Leader Appears in Video After Rumors About His State of Health - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/08/irans-mehr-releases-video-of-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-for-first-time-except-its-old) — Iran’s Mehr Releases Video Of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei For ‘First Time’ – Except It’s Old - [Xinhua](https://english.news.cn/20260808/f533dd79b77e4eb39f31e7a3ca38a298/c.html) — Iranian news agency releases rare video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba ## Questions **When was Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Supreme Leader?** Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader by the country’s Assembly of Experts in early March 2026. His appointment followed the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israel attacks on 28 February 2026. **Why was the video of Mojtaba Khamenei released?** The video was released by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency on 8 August 2026 after reports of Khamenei’s critical health and Israeli media claims he had been hospitalised. The video appears intended to counter those reports, though it carries no date or location. **Did the video show when it was recorded?** No. The video released by Mehr news agency on 8 August 2026 does not specify when or where it was recorded. ANSA reported it appeared to have been shot before the 28 February US-Israel attacks, but other outlets did not address the timing. **Which outlets reported Israeli claims about Khamenei’s health?** Right-rated digests from India TV News, Times of India, Latestly and Tribune India reported Israeli media claims that Khamenei was in critical condition and had been hospitalised. The left-rated report from Xinhua and the centre-rated reports from ANSA and Hindustan Times did not mention those claims. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/mojtaba-khamenei-appears-in-undated-video-amid-health-speculation. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Mojtaba Khamenei appears in undated video amid health speculation", https://mediabias.news/conflict/mojtaba-khamenei-appears-in-undated-video-amid-health-speculation