Report Claims CIA and Mossad Intensify Search for Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

The CIA and Israel's intelligence agency Mossad have reportedly intensified a high-priority covert operation to determine the whereabouts of Mojtaba Khamenei, following claims that he has become Iran's new Supreme Leader, according to a report by The Times.

The report alleges that Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, assumed Iran's highest leadership position on March 8 after the death of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an alleged joint U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran. However, these claims have not been independently verified, and there is no publicly confirmed evidence that Ali Khamenei was killed or that Mojtaba Khamenei has formally succeeded him as Supreme Leader.

According to the report, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public, given interviews, or delivered televised addresses in recent months. His prolonged absence and strict communication secrecy have reportedly fueled uncertainty among Western intelligence agencies regarding his whereabouts and the extent of his authority.

The report further claims that Mojtaba has abandoned the use of digital technology altogether and is following exceptionally stringent security protocols. Citing a senior Western intelligence official, it says investigators have found no evidence over the past five months that he has used a mobile phone, laptop, or any other electronic device.

Instead, the report alleges that he communicates through handwritten notes delivered by trusted couriers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), making electronic surveillance and geolocation tracking significantly more difficult.

Intelligence analysts cited in the report speculate that Mojtaba Khamenei may be staying in a heavily fortified underground bunker in Tehran or within the tunnel networks beneath the holy city of Qom. Others suggest Iranian authorities could be using decoy security measures to conceal his actual location.

The report also notes speculation over whether Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the alleged strike targeting his father. According to unnamed U.S. intelligence officials cited by The Times, he is believed to be alive and continuing to carry out leadership responsibilities. It further claims that instead of delivering the traditional Nowruz television address, he issued only a written message via Telegram.

The report adds that although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly claimed to have met with the Supreme Leader, Western intelligence agencies have not independently confirmed the timing or authenticity of that meeting.

According to The Times, the prolonged absence of the Supreme Leader from public view has coincided with a visible increase in the influence of the IRGC, which has reportedly assumed a more prominent role in military decision-making, domestic security, protection of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, and safeguarding the strategic Strait of Hormuz.