In a baffling development amid the ongoing conflict, Iran has retracted reports of the death of Mansureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the wife of Ayatollah Khamenei. Just a week after Iranian media outlets declared her dead following the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) now claims she is alive and has been moved to a secure location for safety reasons.

The original reports claimed she had succumbed to injuries sustained in the strike that reportedly killed Ayatollah Khamenei himself. This sudden reversal has sparked intense speculation over whether the initial death announcement was a tactical diplomatic ruse. Adding to the instability, British newspaper The Sun recently alleged that the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a coma and has lost a leg—claims that Iran is vehemently countering through official statements. The situation remains deeply murky as the Iranian regime attempts to manage its public narrative amidst escalating geopolitical turmoil.