A government-affiliated Iranian website denied on Thursday rumors that have been spreading over the past few days that Iran's supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is dead or in a coma. The ayatollah has not been seen since collapsing earlier this week.
Calling the rumors a "bold lie", the website claims that the report is part of the West's plan to confuse the Iranian public in order to compromise internal stability. A power struggle would result from Khamenei's failure to function.