‘Mojtaba is alive, doing his job’: Iranian President Pezeshkian says US is spreading propaganda

BRICS Summit 2026: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and "doing his job", amid speculation over the Iranian Supreme Leader's condition and whereabouts. The remarks came as Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit primarily to attend the BRICS summit, at a time of renewed US strikes on Iran, uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz and sharply strained ties between Tehran and Gulf countries.

During the visit, Pezeshkian held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in West Asia and India-Iran ties, urged BRICS to ensure that no country could disrupt the "legitimate trade" of others, and called for stronger use of national currencies in trade within the bloc. Separately, he said Iran would not surrender to "bullying" and "arrogance" by the US and Israel, and would stand firm to protect its national interests.

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Addressing rumours about Mojtaba Khamenei, Pezeshkian told India Today in an interview, "The US has targeted most of our leaders. Mojtaba is alive, doing his job. America is not able to locate Mojtaba. That is why they are spreading propaganda." Mojtaba took over as Iran's Supreme Leader after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran earlier in February killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and most of his immediate family.

Since then, Mojtaba has remained publicly absent and has not been seen or heard. There have been rumours that he is in a coma and was severely injured in the US strikes. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth had previously said Mojtaba was disfigured. While details about his location and condition remain scant, US intelligence officials have told the media that he was most likely in a secret shelter with little access to the outside world.

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TEHRAN’S VISION

In an address to a gathering of religious leaders, intellectuals, academicians and business figures, Pezeshkian outlined Tehran's vision for the Gulf region and said Iran remained committed to peaceful coexistence while resisting foreign efforts to "sow the seeds of discord" within Iranian society. The event was attended, among others, by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Patanjali Ayurved co-founder and managing director Acharya Balkrishna and ORF Director General Sujan R Chinoy.

Pezeshkian said, "We will not surrender to oppression. Iran is standing up to Israel and the US because we will not be bullied, and if they push us, we will push them back." He described the US and Israeli forces as "real militants" and pointed to a US strike near a primary school in southern Iran that, he said, left 168 children dead.

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"They should take on our soldiers instead of targeting hospitals, infrastructure and livelihoods. They think people will surrender because of the lack of supplies but the people of Iran will not surrender," he said. His remarks came amid escalating tensions in West Asia following fresh US airstrikes on Iranian targets and Washington's attempts to inflict economic strain on Tehran through sanctions.

The Iranian president also said the United States and Israel were making "errors like someone riding a wild horse without reining it in". "That will lead them to doom and the fires of hell. God created Iranians, Chinese, Indians and others, and we have to live with each other. We will not surrender to oppression, we will keep supporting the oppressed," he said.

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Ahead of the event, Pezeshkian held wide-ranging talks with Modi that mainly focused on the overall situation in West Asia as well as bilateral ties. He later said he had "nice talks" with Modi that would pave the way for cooperation and the development of relations in trade, technology and culture. He also said that, with its vast reserves and strategic location, Iran was ready to play the role of a strategic partner in supplying energy and food in the region.

Pezeshkian's visit comes at what was described as a crucial time. The US has renewed its strikes, the Strait of Hormuz remains in a state of flux, and Iran's ties with the Gulf are at an all-time low. The situation is expected to test India's diplomacy as it seeks consensus for the BRICS joint declaration, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both members of the expanded BRICS bloc, having faced the brunt of Iran's retaliatory strikes.