Mojataba Khamenei's Cardboard Cutout Video Viral Amid His Public Absence

Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in public since being named leader in early March. His first message to the nation was delivered on March 12 but not by him. A news anchor read the speech on television. In it he vowed to “avenge the blood of our martyrs” and to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, but he did not speak these words himself.

Since that address, Iran's state media has released no new images or recordings of Khamenei. Reports suggest some of the official photos may have been altered or AI-generated.

Earlier, an AI‑generated video of regime supporters cheering a cardboard cutout of Mojtaba Khamenei went viral online, leading some people to mock him as the “cardboard ayatollah” and question whether he is even alive.

????????BREAKING: Iran made a cardboard cut-out of their old Supreme leader due to the new Supreme Leader skipping his appearance due to fears of being killed.

pic.twitter.com/TCILpFKVmN

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 10, 2026

Iranian officials insist he is alive and in command, but many inside and outside Iran are uncertain. Khamenei, 56, assumed leadership after his father, Ali Khamenei, was assassinated by the US and Israel last month. Several family members were also killed in the strikes. Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly wounded, though the extent of his injuries remains unclear.

One fresh statement attributed to him was released around the Persian New Year, but it was delivered via a voice-over rather than by Khamenei himself. This did little to settle doubts about his well‑being or physical state.

Earlier, Iranian media released a video that showed Mojtaba teaching a religious lesson. They did not say when the video was shot.

On Wednesday, Mojtaba promised that those behind the killing of Ali Larijani “will have to pay for it.” The security chief was killed by the US and Israel on March 17. “Every drop of spilt blood comes at a price, and the criminal murderers of these martyrs will soon have to pay it,” Mojtaba Khamenei wrote on his official Telegram channel during Larijani's funeral in Tehran.

The US and Israel's war on Iran began on February 28, followed by retaliatory strikes. One Iranian attack on an Israeli army base led to rumours that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been killed.

Claims that Netanyahu is dead or replaced by an AI deepfake spread online, fuelled by a clip where he appeared to have six fingers. To counter this, Netanyahu posted a “proof of life” video at a Jerusalem cafe, showing him drinking coffee and raising his hands to show five fingers on each.

Some users still questioned the video, pointing to details like the coffee level not changing or a ring briefly disappearing. Israeli officials rejected these rumours.