According to reports, there has been no trace of him for nearly 150 days, raising questions about his survival.
Mossad’s growing anxiety
Citing a report from The Times of London, Israeli media have claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei has not been using any digital devices for the past five months. He has abstained from phones, laptops, radios, or any technology that emits digital signals.
It is believed that American and Israeli intelligence agencies, including the CIA and Mossad, are working day and night to trace his location, but Mojtaba has completely gone off-grid.
Fear of Identity Exposure
According to intelligence sources, Mojtaba was also seriously injured in the airstrike that killed his father. Reports claim that his face has been severely disfigured in the attack. He fears that if he ventures out, the advanced facial recognition technology of American spy satellites will immediately identify him. Therefore, he is sheltering in an undisclosed underground hideout.
Every Technique Failing
To locate Ayatollah Khamenei, the US National Security Agency (NSA) and Israel’s Unit 8200 even hacked into Tehran’s traffic cameras. It was through this digital network that the precise locations of Khamenei and his close associates were obtained.
However, these techniques are proving ineffective in Mojtaba’s case. Intelligence agencies are now relying on human intelligence, or field spies. This is an old and risky method of gathering information, always carrying a life-threatening risk.
Is this a major ploy by the IRGC?
A large segment within the intelligence community also believes that Mojtaba Khamenei may already be dead. It is feared that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is merely pretending he is alive to prevent a rebellion within the country and continue its psychological warfare against the United States.
For now, this has become not just an operational challenge but a major strategic conundrum for security chiefs in Washington and Jerusalem.