Multiple social media users across platforms X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and various news sites in Iran and beyond have been sharing alleged images of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei under rubble after the United States and Israel allegedly bombed him. However, these posts are now confirmed to be AI-generated.
Khamenei ruled over Iran for over 30 years before his assassination on Sunday morning in a strike that both countries had been calling for regime change in Tehran. In response, Iran retaliated with missile strikes against multiple targets, including Israel and seven other nations hosting U.S. military bases, vowing revenge for Khamenei’s death.
On March 1, a pro-Iranian user shared an image of the leader under rubble on X with a caption: “My leader gave up his life, but the Muslim nation did not compromise or sell out the followers of Imam Hussain.” This post gained over four million views and was liked by nearly thirty thousand users. A second similar post from another pro-Iranian user garnered two million views and enjoyed 16,000 likes.
Another user shared an image with a caption: “Iran releases image of Khamenei’s body beneath rubble.” This version gained over four million views. An Indian National Congress supporter also shared the same image, claiming: “Salute to the martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Sahib! May Allah bestow forgiveness,” leading it to receive 340,000 views.
A Pakistani account circulated a similar post with an additional caption stating: “The intelligence was so solid that a photo of Imam Khomeini’s body was even delivered to the Israeli Prime Minister. Internal enemies are always the most dangerous; this is a lesson for Pakistan.” This image garnered over 170,000 views.
Multiple international digital media outlets such as Antikor, Ahdaath net, Our Islam 24, Harianaceh, Gelora, Andhraj Yothy, Dosja, Face News, Punjab Kesari, Al Wafd news, and Dimpe News also shared the same image with a similar claim. A total of over four hundred thousand views were garnered by these posts collectively.
Separately, another user posted an alternative image showing Khamenei allegedly lying on a bed after being found under rubble. This post gained 400,000 views and featured a caption: “Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s dead body.”
Fact-checks have since been initiated to investigate the veracity of these claims due to their widespread circulation online. Searches conducted did not reveal any credible or mainstream news reports that had shared or reported such images. Upon closer inspection, AI-detection tools identified both versions as being generated using Google’s AI technology.
Furthermore, a reverse image search for Khamenei in the second picture revealed visuals from a 2014 Euro News YouTube video titled “Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ‘successful’ prostate surgery,” where he had allegedly undergone such an operation. This news was also covered by multiple other international media outlets including BBC, Al-Arabiya English, and Mashregh News.
The conclusion of the fact-check is that these images are false. No credible or mainstream sources have reported or shared such content regarding Khamenei’s death post-assassination. The first image showing him under rubble was found to depict rescue workers standing over a simulated body on makeshift rubble in an atypical scenario, while the second version depicting him lying on a bed was sourced from Euro News’ video footage from 2014.
In summary, these viral images are falsely attributed to Khamenei’s death and do not reflect real-life events.