{"id":2581006,"date":"2026-03-17T17:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/envoy-insists-irans-leaders-dont-need-to-hide-despite-dead-officials\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T17:26:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:26:23","slug":"envoy-insists-irans-leaders-dont-need-to-hide-despite-dead-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/envoy-insists-irans-leaders-dont-need-to-hide-despite-dead-officials\/","title":{"rendered":"Envoy insists Iran\u2019s leaders don\u2019t need to hide despite dead officials"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fenvoy-insists-irans-leaders-dont-need-to-hide-despite-dead-officials%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2581006&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh piece centers on rumors and official responses amid intensified US-Israel strikes on Iran, focusing on leadership questions and high-profile killings.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Rumors circulated that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was secretly flown to Russia for life-saving surgery, but Iran\u2019s ambassador to Russia denied the reports as nonsense and described them as psychological warfare; the younger Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the conflict escalated.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly questioned Iran\u2019s leadership, saying he didn\u2019t no who is running the country and suggesting uncertainty about mojtaba Khamenei\u2019s status.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Iran\u2019s top national-security circle was rattled by overnight Israeli air strikes that killed Ali Larijani,a senior official,and Gholamreza Soleimani,a Basij commander; these deaths where presented by some Israeli officials as removing key figures from an adversarial bloc.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Iranian officials asserted that leaders remain in public view and among the people, while some reports and media commentary described the incidents as psychological warfare and meaningful blows to Iran\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The report includes reactions from Iranian and Israeli sides, with Netanyahu publicly signaling a decisive action against Iranian leadership and the broader security infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; the article portrays a climate of rumor, denial, and heightened tension as regional hostilities continue.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Iran&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/departing-opioid-trust-member-no-excuse-for-getting-money-out-quickly-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Departing opioid trust member: \u2018No excuse\u2019 for getting money out quickly ... Washington Examiner\">leaders don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t need to hide, envoy insists, despite MIA Khamenei and dead officials<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2535186\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rumors swirled this week that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4485445\/mojtaba-khamenei-profile-iran-supreme-leader\/\">Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei<\/a>, the supreme leader of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a>, was secretly flown to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"80\">Russia<\/a> for life-saving surgery.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, told <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/tass.com\/world\/2102859\">Russian News Agency TASS<\/a> on Tuesday that those reports are nonsense, comparing them to previous false reports about the ayatollah&rsquo;s father and predecessor, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ali-khamenei\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2865\">Ali Khamenei<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4494084\/qatar-al-jazeera-us-israel-war-strategy-working\/\">Qatari state outlet Al Jazeera runs op-ed proclaiming US-Israel &#8216;war strategy is working&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4494129\/eu-commissioner-criticizes-fifa-gianni-infantino-world-cup-security-concerns\/\">EU commissioner criticizes FIFA leadership over World Cup security concerns<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493962\/israel-targeting-basij-leadership-focus-security-infrastructure\/\">Israel shifts focus to Iran&#8217;s security infrastructure with latest Basij strikes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Until the day of U.S. and Zionist aggression against Iran, on the morning of the most revered holy month, news of the martyr Khamenei&rsquo;s escape to Venezuela and Russia dominated the media of the satanic movement,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/tass.com\/world\/2102745\">wrote<\/a> Jalali. &ldquo;Now, reports that the supreme leader has been transferred to Russia for medical treatment represent a new form of psychological warfare.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iran&rsquo;s Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali leads a mourning ceremony for late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after his killing during U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, outside Iran&rsquo;s embassy in Moscow, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alexander Zemlianichenko)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Iranian ambassador rebuked the notion that the supreme leader would attempt to escape his own country, declaring that &ldquo;Iranian leaders do not need to flee or hide in bunkers&rdquo; amid the U.S.-Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[Their] place is in the streets among the people,&rdquo; Jalali added. &ldquo;The blood of the martyr [Ali] Khamenei nullifies the effects of psychological warfare and the flood of lies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493962\/israel-targeting-basij-leadership-focus-security-infrastructure\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493962\/israel-targeting-basij-leadership-focus-security-infrastructure\/\"><strong>ISRAEL SHIFTS FOCUS TO IRAN&rsquo;S SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE WITH LATEST BASIJ STRIKES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The impassioned statement would be more convincing if anyone had actually seen the current ayatollah since his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4484850\/iran-names-mojtaba-khamenei-new-supreme-leader\/\">reported ascension<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The younger Khamenei, who Iranian officials have acknowledged was injured in a previous strike against Tehran, has not appeared in public or even on camera since Operation Epic Fury began.<\/p>\n<p>He <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4489443\/mojtaba-khamenei-first-statement-not-on-camera\/\">offered his first address<\/a> as the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic last week, but the text of the speech was delivered by an Iranian newscaster on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/factbox-latest-on-worldwide-spread-of-the-coronavirus\/\" title=\"Factbox...Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus\">state television<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kuwaiti newspaper <em>Al Jarida<\/em> claimed over the weekend that the ayatollah had been flown out of Iran for treatment in Moscow. The alleged escape was reportedly made at the behest of Russian President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vladimir-putin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"79\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Kremlin previously declined to comment on the <em>Al Jarida<\/em> report.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman holds posters of Iranian Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, the successor to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, as supreme leader, during a rally supporting him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> added fuel to the speculation on Monday when he told reporters the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/helene-misinformation-demoralizing-creating-fear-fema-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Helene misinformation &#039;demoralizing,&#039; creating &#039;fear&#039;: FEMA ... Washington Examiner\">government isn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t even sure who is running the country at this point.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/iran-war-us-israel-latest-news-2026\/card\/u-s-doesn-t-know-who-iran-s-leader-is-trump-says-5XISpOgRPw8YuB09Yxkf\">We have no idea who they are<\/a>,&rdquo;&nbsp;the president said, adding that &ldquo;nobody&rsquo;s seen [Mojtaba Khamenei]&rdquo; and claiming intelligence doesn&rsquo;t know &ldquo;if he&rsquo;s dead or not.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re saying that he lost his leg, one leg, and he&rsquo;s been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he&rsquo;s dead. Nobody&rsquo;s saying he&rsquo;s 100% healthy,&rdquo; Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>If Iranian leaders felt that they didn&rsquo;t need to &ldquo;hide in bunkers,&rdquo; that sentiment might have changed following the reported assassination of Iran&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >top national security official<\/a>,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493843\/idf-claims-it-killed-two-top-iranian-officials-in-overnight-airstrikes\/\">Ali Larijani<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian National Security Council secretary was assassinated overnight via an air strike by the Israeli military. Considered one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-is-mojtaba-khamenei-irans-new-supreme-leader\/\" title=\"Who is Mojtaba ..., ...&#039;s new ...?\">late ayatollah&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s closest confidants, Larijani is the highest-ranking Iranian official to be killed since the opening strikes of <a title=\"Who has been killed so far during US-Israel mission in Iran?\" data-smartlink=\"c52e68490013011034e2cdff3c2cc38a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4476540\/senior-iran-hezbollah-officials-civilians-killed-us-israel-strikes\/?itm_campaign=wp-parsely&amp;itm_medium=smart-link&amp;itm_term=c52e68490013011034e2cdff3c2cc38a&amp;itm_source=smart-linking\">Operation Epic Fury<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps&rsquo;s Basij unit, was reportedly killed in a separate strike.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani gives a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 1, 2019. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493872\/what-ali-larijani-killing-says-iran-senior-leadership\/\">WHAT ALI LARIJANI KILLING SAYS ABOUT THE STATE OF IRAN&rsquo;S SENIOR LEADERSHIP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation program, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,&rdquo; Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz&rsquo;s office told the <em>Times of Israel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/benjamin-netanyahu\/\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> posted to social media a photo of himself ordering the killing of Larijani and Soleimani.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran says leaders need not hide; Khamenei rumors false<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2581007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26061581852740.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3817,3823,50402,3638,3646],"class_list":["post-2581006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-diplomacy","tag-iran","tag-leadership-2","tag-officials","tag-security"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26061581852740.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581006"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581010,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581006\/revisions\/2581010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2581007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}