Where is Ayatollah Khamenei? Iran's Supreme Leader not seen in public amid US-Israel attacks: Reports

As missiles strike and alliances shift across the Middle East, Iran is facing a crisis of visibility at the very top. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who commands final authority in Iran, has been missing from public view for nearly a week, according to Western media reports. His unexplained silence, amid the country’s most volatile military confrontation in years, is triggering growing speculation, unease, and internal alarm.

The 86-year-old Supreme Leader has made no public appearance or statement since Israeli and U.S. forces jointly bombed three of Iran’s key nuclear sites. Tehran responded by launching missile attacks on an American base in Qatar, prompting a fragile ceasefire now in place, reportedly brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Iranian state media has released no images or footage of Khamenei since the hostilities began. Sources close to the leadership claim he has been moved to a secure underground bunker and has avoided electronic communication due to fears of an assassination attempt, a threat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is believed not to have ruled out, despite Trump’s caution, according to the New York Times.

On Tuesday, a prime-time state TV anchor questioned Mehdi Fazaeli, a senior official from Khamenei’s office, about the leader’s whereabouts. “People are very worried about the Supreme Leader. Can you tell us how he is?” the anchor asked. Fazaeli deflected: “We should all be praying. Those tasked with protecting the Supreme Leader were doing their job.”

Meanwhile, the public absence is being felt on the streets. Over the weekend, women demonstrators in Tehran were seen holding portraits of Khamenei during an anti-Israel, anti-U.S. protest—an act symbolic of a void in public direction. “His days-long absence has made all of us who love him very worried,” said Mohsen Khalifeh, editor of Khaneman newspaper. “If Khamenei were dead, his funeral would be the most glorious and historic.”

According to Reuters, a three-member committee from Iran’s top clerical body—handpicked by Khamenei to identify a successor—has fast-tracked internal deliberations. A senior Iranian security official told the agency that Khamenei, along with his family, is now being protected by the elite Vali-ye Amr unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The latest military confrontation erupted on June 13, when Israel launched precision strikes that killed several senior Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders. Iranian officials claim the strikes left 627 dead and over 5,000 injured. In retaliation, Iran’s missile barrage reportedly breached Israel’s multi-layered air defences for the first time at scale. Israel has confirmed 28 casualties on its side. Independent verification from Iranian territory remains limited due to media restrictions.