A high-profile Iranian military and political figure declared dead by Israel last week has proclaimed himself alive in a message published by Iranian state media on Friday.
Shamkhani, a top aide to Khamenei, was reported dead by Israel and Iranian media following Israel’s June 13 strikes on Iran.
On Friday multiple Iranian outlets, including IRNA, Tasnim and Fars, said Shamkhani was not dead, instead reporting that he had been “severely injured and hospitalized” and was now “in stable condition.” No new pictures of Shamkhani were published alongside his reported message.
Shamkhani previously served as Iran’s top national security official and held senior roles in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the ministry of defense.
Well known in foreign-policy circles in Washington and Europe, he had recently been acting as a key adviser for Iran in the recent nuclear talks with the US – which came to a standstill in the wake of Israel’s strikes.
Source: CNN