Iranian ambassador denies supreme leader transferred to Russia for medical treatment

ISTANBUL

Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali on Tuesday denied media reports that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been transferred to Moscow for medical treatment after being injured in a US-Israeli strike late last month.

In a statement on US social media company X, Jalali described reports of Khamenei’s transfer to Russia for medical treatment as “a new psychological war.”

“Iran's leaders don't need to run and hide in shelters; their place is on the streets among the people. The blood of the martyr (then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei cancels out the magic of psychological warfare and a flood of lies,” he said.

Citing a high-ranking official close to Iran’s supreme leader, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida reported on Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in a US-Israeli strike on Feb. 28 and was transported to Moscow for treatment.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter, saying: “We do not comment on such reports in any way."