A clip widely being shared on social media appears to depict Mojtaba Khamenei walking into a high-tech command center where a large image of Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor is displayed. However, fact-checking reveals that the video is not genuine and lacks any official backing.
The viral video claiming to show Mojtaba Khamenei entering a military operations room has been debunked as AI-generated and unverified by Grok, with no credible sources confirming its authenticity.
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The Iranian media has not reported on the alleged video
GBX_Press initially shared the video on X. The page described the video as "breaking news" and stated, “Iran releases a new video showing for the first time Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on his way to the military operations room.”
However, there has been no confirmation of the video from Iranian state media outlets such as Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), or Tasnim News Agency, Grok confirmed.
Major international news organisations, including Reuters, BBC, and CNN, have also not reported any such appearance or video release by the government of Iran.
{{/usCountry}}Major international news organisations, including Reuters, BBC, and CNN, have also not reported any such appearance or video release by the government of Iran.
{{/usCountry}}Open-source intelligence like Grok notes that, since reportedly succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, earlier in 2026, Mojtaba Khamenei has made no verified public appearances and has issued only written statements.
This clip comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the region with the ongoing war between Iran, Israel and the US. Additionally, the addition of imagery referencing the Dimona Nuclear Reactor in Israel with visible coordinates feeds into the speculation about military escalation.
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AI markers and recycled footage identified
According to analysis from Grok, the clip is identified to have several indicators that it is artificially generated or manipulated.
Frame-by-frame reviews suggest that portions of the footage resemble older recordings of Ali Khamenei from before his reported death, per Grok. The video is then mounted with digital overlays added to create the impression of a new setting.
The video also features visual inconsistencies such as blurred faces, unnatural lighting, and glitch-like transitions, according to Grok. These markers have been flagged as common markers of AI-generated or heavily edited content.
Fact-checking organisations, including DW and MEMRI, have previously documented similar propaganda-style clips using AI techniques to mislead viewers.