Fact Check: Ayatollah Khamenei spotted in Sahara Desert after assassination reports? No, here’s the truth
Photos claiming to show Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei alive and hiding in the Sahara Desert are being widely shared on social media.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Claim:Photos show Khamenei recently spotted in the Sahara Desert, suggesting he is still alive and in hiding after reports of his assassination.
Fact:The claim is false. The photos are from 2014 and show Khamenei on a post-surgery hike in the mountains on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran.
Hyderabad: Tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran have escalated sharply in recent days, culminating in joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets, including Tehran. Iranian state media reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes carried out on February 28, 2026.
The 86-year-old leader’s death was officially announced on March 1, followed by the declaration of a 40-day national mourning period and statements vowing retaliation.
Amid heightened regional tensions, photos showing a man resembling Khamenei walking in a desert-like landscape began circulating widely on social media. Users claimed the images showed a recent sighting of him in the Sahara Desert, suggesting he was still alive and in hiding.
One X user shared the images with the caption: “Rumors circulated yesterday suggesting Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei had died. However, a lesser-known journalist reportedly spotted him this morning in the Sahara Desert, indicating he may still be #alive and in hiding. Some speculate this could signal an impending response. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's initiation of the conflict is expected by some to lead to significant backlash against him.” (Archive)
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive1, Archive2)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral photos are not recent and have no connection to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict.
Examination of the visuals
A reverse image search of the viral photos led to a video published by AFP News Agency on YouTube on October 11, 2014, titled “Iran releases video of Ali Khamenei in post-surgery hike.” The video contains visuals similar to the now-viral photographs.The video description states that Iran released the footage showing Khamenei taking a walk in the mountains on the outskirts of Tehran following prostate surgery.
Through further keyword searches, we found a report published on October 11, 2014, by The Times of Israel, which also covered the same footage.According to the report and the video, the visuals show Khamenei on his first mountain hike after undergoing prostate surgery in September 2014.
In the clip, he reportedly mentions that it was his first visit to the mountains since the surgery, undertaken on doctors’ advice.The location shown in the video is mountainous terrain near Tehran, not the Sahara Desert.
The viral images match frames from this 2014 footage.
The photos circulating on social media do not show Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the ongoing conflict. They are older images from a hike recorded in Iran in October 2014.Therefore, the claim is false.
