Newsbeat
Mar 14, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister: Iran's Supreme Leader Cannot Show His Face

Israeli Prime Minister: Iran's Supreme Leader Cannot Show His Face

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Iran's new Supreme Leader cannot show his face to the public, after Tehran released his first message.

"I will not grant life insurance to any Iranian leader. And I will not give precise information about what we are planning or will implement," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 12, when asked whether Tel Aviv had any plans to respond to Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, son of Ali Khamenei, was elected on March 8 as the next Supreme Leader to lead the country amid conflict with the US and Israel. He was Iran's third Supreme Leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that Israel had killed Ali Khamenei in an airstrike on February 28, and now his successor "cannot appear in public."

Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared before the people since being elected Supreme Leader. During his swearing-in ceremony in Tehran, Iranian officials only displayed a portrait of him. The US and Israel had previously publicly threatened to assassinate whoever was elected Supreme Leader of Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem in 2025. Photo: Reuters

Other posts