Did Iran use AI on 'unseen' Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's photo?

The photo circulated by Iranian media has fueled speculation about the condition of Iran's new leader, who has not made any public appearance since being appointed.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, now has an account on X with the handle @Rahbarenghelab and has made a series of posts in Persian since March 12 about the ongoing US-Israel led military campaign against the country. 

However, questions are now being raised over the authenticity of the profile picture that the account carries. A BBC Verify journalist said the photo circulated by Iranian media appears to have been modified using artificial intelligence (AI).

In a post on X, the journalist, Shayan Sardarizadeh, said the widely published photo of Mojtaba Khamenei seems to be edited using AI. 

“This image of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, which has been widely published by Iranian media today and now appears on his new X account, appears to have been manipulated with AI.” 

According to the post, analysis of the picture by Google's SynthID found watermarks on it which indicated that the picture was edited using Google AI.

Sardarizadeh added that the photo seems to have been edited from an older image of Mojtaba Khamenei.

He said, “A cropped reverse image search finds what appears to be the original version of the photo published several years ago. It shows Mojtaba at a pro-government rally. The background and those surrounding him seem to have been edited and removed using AI.”

DH also posted a query on Google Gemini and the analysis said, “All or part of this image was generated or edited with Google AI.” It pointed out irregularities in the beard, details on his glasses and the blurred background. 

However, it also said, “These visual cues are not definitive proof on their own, as they can also be found in real, edited photographs. However, when combined with the detection of a digital watermark, it indicates that Google AI was used in the creation or modification of this image.”

Image showing Google Gemini analysis 

This altered image has fueled speculation about the condition of Iran's new leader, who has not made any public appearance since being appointed.

Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly injured during the airstrike that killed his father on February 28. Some reports have alleged that the new leader may be in a coma and undergoing intensive care at Sina University Hospital in Tehran. 

However, Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian and a government adviser, said Mojtaba Khamenei was “safe and sound” according to AFP.