Kremlin declines to comment on Iranian supreme leader's whereabouts

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday declined to comment on media reports claiming Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had arrived in Moscow for treatment.

"We do not comment on such reports in any way," Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

The father of the current leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a US-Israeli attack on Iran, which has been ongoing since Feb. 28.

Both the US and Israel stated their intention to continue killing the Iranian leadership, including Mojtaba Khamenei, who was elected as the new supreme leader.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti newspaper "Al-Jarida" reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in another US-Israeli strike and transported to Moscow for treatment.

Commenting on the claims, Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the new leader was wounded in the attacks, saying he is feeling well. The ministry, however, declined to disclose his whereabouts.

Peskov also refrained from commenting on the claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding Moscow's alleged supply of drones to Tehran.

The spokesman redirected the question to Zelenskyy, saying: "You need to address the head of the Kyiv regime, asking him from where he got such information. We do not comment on such statements."

Asked about the continuation of talks aimed to end the conflict in Ukraine, Peskov said Russia is open to continuing the peace process on Ukraine and is waiting for the next round of negotiations.

He said the place and the date of the new meeting have yet to be agreed upon.

"So far, unfortunately for objective reasons, the place and time (of the new round of negotiations on Ukraine) have not been agreed upon, but we believe that this will be possible in the foreseeable future," Peskov noted.

He also noted that statements by US President Donald Trump indicate that it is Ukraine that is the main obstacle in the peace process.

"He (Trump) strongly recommends that Zelenskyy make a deal. And from these statements, it follows that it is the Ukrainian side that is the main brake in the negotiation process," Peskov pointed out.

About media reports claiming Trump has lost interest in the Ukrainian settlement, Peskov said his statements demonstrate the opposite.

He added that currently "the priorities of the American negotiators are different," adding: "They have a lot of workload in other, well-understood areas."

Russia and Ukraine had held several rounds of US-mediated peace talks in 2026. The process was interrupted by the US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28.

Peskov also criticized Zelenskyy for imposing sanctions on Russian Paralympic athletes.

"The actions of the Kyiv regime are incapable of casting any shadow whatsoever on the successful performances of our athletes at the Paralympics," he said.