El nuevo líder supremo de Irán, Mojtaba Khamenei, se encuentra inconsciente y en estado crítico en la ciudad santa de Qom, según un informe de inteligencia que sugiere que el clérigo es “incapaz de participar en la toma de decisiones” del régimen.

La revelación, publicada inicialmente por el diario británico The Times de Londres, se basa en un memorando diplomático que circula entre aliados del Golfo. El documento sostiene que la condición médica de Khamenei es “grave” y que su incapacidad funcional ha dejado un vacío de poder en la cúspide de la República Islámica en un momento de máxima tensión bélica con Estados Unidos e Israel.

El rastro del líder en Qom

De acuerdo con el informe citado por The Times, el cual integra evaluaciones de inteligencia estadounidense e israelí, Mojtaba Khamenei —hijo del fallecido ayatolá Alí Khamenei— está siendo tratado bajo estrictas medidas de seguridad en Qom, situada a unos 140 kilómetros al sur de Teherán. La ubicación del líder supremo había sido un secreto de Estado desde que estalló el conflicto actual.

El memorando detalla que Khamenei permanece en un estado de inconsciencia que le impide ejercer cualquier tipo de autoridad política o religiosa. Esta situación contradice las afirmaciones oficiales de Teherán, que insisten en que el líder de 56 años está “al mando” de la nación tras haber sido designado sucesor de su padre a principios de marzo.

Los videos con IA que alimentan las dudas

La salud de Mojtaba ha sido objeto de especulaciones desde el inicio de la guerra el pasado 28 de febrero. Irán confirmó en su momento que el nuevo líder resultó herido en el mismo ataque aéreo de precisión —atribuido a fuerzas de Estados Unidos e Israel— que acabó con la vida de su padre, su madre, su esposa y uno de sus hijos.

A pesar de haber sido nombrado sucesor, Mojtaba Khamenei no ha sido visto ni escuchado en público en las cinco semanas transcurridas desde el ataque. Las sospechas sobre su incapacidad física se intensificaron este lunes, cuando la televisión estatal iraní difundió un video generado por inteligencia artificial (IA) que mostraba al líder analizando mapas militares. El uso de tecnología digital para simular su presencia, sumado a que sus comunicados son leídos por terceros, ha reforzado la tesis de que el líder se encuentra en coma o en una condición de salud irreversible.

El papel de la Guardia Revolucionaria

La incapacidad reportada de Khamenei plantea interrogantes sobre quién dirige realmente el destino de Irán. Analistas de inteligencia sugieren que el Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica (IRGC) podría estar ejerciendo un control de facto sobre el país, utilizando la figura de un Khamenei silente como un mero símbolo de legitimidad.

Incluso el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, ha alimentado estas versiones al declarar públicamente que su administración está negociando con “otros funcionarios iraníes”, pero que no está tratando directamente con el líder supremo.

El misterio del funeral y el mausoleo

El memorando diplomático también arroja luz sobre el prolongado retraso en el entierro del anterior líder supremo, Alí Khamenei. Aunque la tradición chií exige la sepultura inmediata, han pasado casi 40 días —el periodo tradicional de luto o Arba’een— sin que se haya realizado un funeral de Estado.

Según el informe visto por The Times, las agencias de inteligencia han detectado trabajos de construcción para un gran mausoleo en Qom diseñado para “más de una tumba”. Esto sugiere que el régimen podría estar preparándose para enterrar a Mojtaba junto a su padre, evitando así los riesgos de seguridad que supondría un funeral masivo en Teherán o Mashhad, donde las multitudes podrían ser blanco de ataques o protagonizar disturbios contra el régimen.

A gunfight with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, left one attacker dead, two others injured and two police officers sustaining minor injuries.

The armed attackers had ties to an activist group that «exploits religion,» according to Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci on X.

«The identities of the terrorists have been identified,» he wrote in a post translated by X. «It has been determined that the individuals, who arrived in Istanbul by a rental vehicle from Izmit, include one with ties to an organization that exploits religion; and it has also been established that one of the two terrorists, who are brothers, has a drug record.»

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U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack condemned the attack and praised Turkish authorities.

«The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul,» Barrack wrote on X. «Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together. We commend Türkiye and Turkish security forces for their swift and decisive response.»

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Police officers pulled out guns and took cover as shots rang out for at least 10 minutes near a permanent security checkpoint near the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. One person was seen covered in blood amid the glass towers in the heart of the city’s main financial district.

Footage obtained by Reuters showed an apparent attacker, in a dark top and carrying a backpack, moving among parked white police and security buses and firing with an automatic rifle and a handgun.

Two bodies lay on nearby streets and parking areas, near grassy areas.

Turkish Police special forces stand guard near the Israeli Consulate building in Istanbul, Turkey, after gunfire was reported on April 7, 2026. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

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Two police officers were lightly wounded in the attack, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul told reporters at the scene.

He said there had been no Israeli diplomatic staff at the consulate for 2-1/2 years, since the Hamas-Israel war began in 2023, leading to a deep chill in Turkish-Israeli diplomatic ties.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed there were no staff at the consulate at the time of the shootings.

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The incident occurred next to a major motorway just after midday, immediately outside the tower where the Israeli Consulate is located. The gunfire echoed inside nearby bank headquarters, where thousands of workers were breaking for lunch.

Turkey, a fierce critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, had recalled its ambassador from Israel in November 2023 and diplomatic relations have been effectively frozen since then.

Turkish Police special forces walk near the building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, after gunfire was heard on April 7, 2026. (Murad Sezer/Reuters)

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At the same time that year, Israeli diplomats left Turkey due to security concerns after pro-Palestinian protests erupted across the country and in front of the consulate. Since then, a heavily armed police presence has been maintained in the area near the consulate.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Artemis II cew literally went where no man, or woman, had gone before on a historic trek around the dark side of the moon on Monday, and the crew did it with pilot Victor Glover making a quick request for divine assistance.

«I’d like to ask, what was your feeling when you had no communication?» President Donald Trump asked in a call arranged by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman from Houston mission control to «Integrity,» the crew’s chosen name for the Orion capsule. «Zero communication all of a sudden: It was cut off by obviously your very special location; what was your feeling when you had no communication? A little bit different, perhaps.»

«Yes, Mr. President, it was,» Glover replied. «I said a little prayer, but then I had to keep rolling.»

The prayer was quick, because when things went dark, the crew had to get to work during the 45-minute communications outage.

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«I was actually recording scientific observations of the far side of the moon,» Glover continued. «You know, that is actually the time when we were the farthest and the closest to the moon.

«And so we were really able to make some of our most detailed observations of the far side of the moon up close. And so we were busy up here working really hard. And I must say it was actually quite nice.»

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Before going to sleep on flight day 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the Moon, as it drew closer through the window of the Orion spacecraft. (NASA)

Trump drilled down on the observations.

«Did you see a difference, a big difference between the far side of the moon and the near side of the moon?» Trump asked. «Was there a difference in feel or difference in look, what did you see?»

The lack of light «certainly did» change the perspective, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said, noting the far side looked strikingly different from the near side, with far fewer of the dark plains visible from Earth.

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«The gravitational pull of the Earth has had a profound effect on the near side of the moon, changing all those dark mares, those dark patches of the moon you see from Earth. It’s very different on the far side.

«While you see some small patches of those mare and deep craters, it’s very much absent on that side. So that’s really neat.»

Hansen also took a moment to thank Trump on behalf of Canada, a country that has had at-times testy dealings with Trump.

This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they speak with NASA Mission Control in a video conference while en route to the moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA)

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«And while I have the microphone, sir, I just want to thank you on behalf of Canada: The space leadership you spoke of from America truly is extraordinary,» Hansen said. «I’ve said this many times before, a nation that leads like that and creates and sets big goals for humanity, that brings other countries along with it, is truly incredible.

«And I know that’s a very intentional, not a necessary decision, intentional decision to lead by example and to allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars.

«And Canadians are so proud to be a part of this program.»

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Trump referenced Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky and said the country is proud of Hansen’s bravery.

«They are so proud of you, and you have a lot of courage,» Trump said. «I’m not sure if they’d want to do that. I’m not even sure if The Great One would want to do that, to be honest with you. But you have a lot of courage doing what you’re doing, a lot of bravery and a lot of of genius. But they’re very, very proud of you.»

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Split of President Donald Trump and Jared Isaacman. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mission specialist Christina Koch spoke about regaining sight of Earth after the blackout and the importance of U.S. leadership in deep-space exploration.

«One of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the moon and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again, after being out of communication for about 45 minutes,» said Koch, the first woman to the moon, who already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and was part of the first all-female spacewalk.

«It really just reminds you what a special place we have and how important it is for our nation to work, to lead and not follow in exploring deep space.»

Commander Reid Wiseman told Trump the crew had witnessed views that were first sights for humanity, including a solar corona during an eclipse and planets lining up beyond the moon.

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«We saw sights hat no human has ever seen before, not even in Apollo, and that was amazing for us,» Wiseman said. «And then the surprise of the day, we just came out of an eclipse where the sun, moon — the entire dark moon about that big right out the window that we were watching — we could see the corona of the sun, and then we could see the planet train line up, and Mars.

«And all of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation, and this planet become a two-planet species.»