Fact Check: Iran released gory photo of Ali Khamenei’s body in the rubble? New visuals emerge

An image claiming to show Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's body under rubble has been analyzed and found to exhibit signs of AI manipulation

Updated on: Mar 2, 2026, 10:26:45 IST

By Shirin Gupta

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A widely shared image circulating on social media claims to show the body of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei being pulled from rubble following the airstrikes from the US and Israel.

An image claiming to show Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's body under rubble has been analyzed and found to exhibit signs of AI manipulation (REUTERS)

Early on Sunday, March 1, Iranian official television announced the death of Iran's 30-year ruler, the Supreme Leader. Khamenei was killed during the first phase of a concerted US-Israeli strike.

What does the viral image show?

A pro-Iranian user posted a photo of Khamenei below rubble on X on March 1 with the remark, "My leader gave up his life, but the Muslim nation did not compromise or sell out the followers of Imam Hussain."

The image shows multiple rescuers standing right on the debris over Khamenei's said body, trying to retrieve him from under the heavy concrete.

The image is AI-generated

According to multiple reports and fact checks, the rescuers are seen unusually putting full body weight on the larger piece of concrete, pressing down on the victim to remove a relatively small piece of debris. Moreover, the image bears tell-tale signs of having been created or altered by AI.

The image contains a SynthID watermark, a marker used by Google’s AI image generation tools. Another fact check by Lead Stories also identified visual inconsistencies, such as unnatural lighting and distorted object shapes.

The hand lying on the wooden beam in the foreground has six fingers, which is a common misstep in images produced by AI. Moreover, Upon close examination, several of the structural components, such as the way the metal rods protrude from the concrete or the arrangement of the wooden beams, seem physically irregular or warped.

Additionally, the image has two Arabic watermarks that are easily added to any digital file and do not verify the image's authenticity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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